Seed replacement rate
Also called: SRR · Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Seed replacement rate (SRR) is the percentage of a crop's area sown with certified or quality seed, rather than seed saved from the farmer's own last harvest, in a season.
SRR = (area sown with certified/quality seed ÷ total area sown under the crop) × 100
Farm-saved seed loses vigour and purity over time. So a higher SRR usually means better yields.
Example
Suppose 100 ha of wheat is sown in a district and 35 ha of it uses certified seed. The SRR is 35 ÷ 100 × 100 = 35%. Bodies such as the National Seeds Corporation (set up in 1963) multiply and supply this seed.
Don't confuse with
- Crop yield: yield is output per hectare. SRR measures the quality of the seed used, not the size of the harvest.
Related concepts
- Green Revolution
- High-yielding variety seeds
- Research and extension
- Farm mechanisation
- Crop yield
- Kharif crops
- Rabi crops
- Zaid crops
- Multiple cropping
- Net sown area