Shamiran Biswas

Dhane prana, dhan dhon, dhan knowledge dhan civilization spread. Seeds are needed to grow crops. With the discovery of this fact, human civilization, which was slowly progressing across the ups and downs, stepped on the moving ladder of progress. That which was eating in the groove of the uphill stream began to move faster as if the wind blows the sails of a boat. The progress of civilization is faster; Easier.

The day when people, tired of the insecure hunter-gatherer lifestyle, set aside seeds for the next crop, he discovered a great way to benefit humanity. The association that the seed achieved with man and the progress of his civilization continues to this day. The engagement is getting closer and closer and will continue to grow in the future. The time of the discovery of this fact or the day when people kept the seeds to grow crops for their needs cannot be precisely specified. It can be seen from various information and data analysis that agriculture started in the world about 1000 years ago. So it can be assumed that sometime around 10,000 years ago the association of seeds with humans and with the progress of human civilization began.

Humans became civilized overnight by learning to farm and collect their own food through the use of seeds. He gave up wandering in the forest to get his own food. Somewhere next to the reservoir, he settled and built a shelter. Freed from the constant thought of food association, he got free time for other thoughts and from other thoughts began the transition from level to level of civilization.

As soon as food was secured, he thought of a place to stay. He fenced and sheltered the place. Thus he built his house. He thought about security. He fortified his house. Demarcated the boundaries of his farming area. The family slowly developed; From family to township and finally country. Society is created for management. Presumably, civilization progressed through a process that began with the discovery of seeds.

Perhaps agriculture and civilization began with the cultivation of cereals; When people found out that if they sowed the seeds of a type of grass seed, it produced many seeds. As the seeds produced can be eaten and stored for later use, it ceases to roam in search of food and settles down. All major civilizations in human history were based on grains produced from such grasses. Because the food quality of cereals is high and storage facilities are also high. Mesopotamians cultivated wheat along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Chinese began to cultivate rice in the Huanghe and Yangtze river basins.

The Maya cultivated maize in the dry plains of the Yucanan region. Seeds have been and still are the main source of human food production. Without seeds, agriculture could not be started and agriculture could not be stabilized. The development of civilization was hampered and slowed down by the instability of agriculture. With the progress of civilization, the importance of seeds is being more deeply realized and the use of seeds is increasing.

Importance of seeds: The inherent power of seeds and the various uses of seeds make seeds a uniquely common and indispensable commodity. An idea about the aspect and extent of importance of seeds can be made from the discussion of the following points.

Existence: Let's think about the impossible for a while. Let us assume that there is no air on earth or that the earth's air is all polluted or that the earth's temperature suddenly increases or decreases slightly. Or the world's water has all disappeared or become polluted. If any one of these happens, our existence will be threatened and if such an adverse condition prevails for a long time, our existence as well as all living beings will disappear. Now we think about seeds. There are no seeds in the earth or all the seeds are dead. What will happen then? Trees will disappear from the earth. Their abundance of air, heat or water never leads us to think that this could happen. The same is true of seeds. The tree produces a lot of seeds, and because of its abundance, the seeds never seem to run out. Any adverse event in the seed will adversely affect our existence. So it can be said that neglecting seeds is like neglecting our existence.

Starting farming: Just as in the past, if there were no seeds, it was not possible to start farming, even today, if you want to start farming, you have to think about seeds. Cultivation can only be started once the seeds or seedlings are collected.

Diffusion of Technology: Seed is not only a seedling producer or a crop producer, many research technologies are embedded in seeds. That is, the seeds are made high-yielding by research. Or made to repel disease and insects. Again, special seeds that can be sown early or early are developed to suit the crop sequence of a place. When the seeds with all these qualities go to the farmer, not only the seeds reach his hands, but also the results of all these technologies from the laboratory reach him and the technology spreads.

Productivity of other inputs: Fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides etc. are used to increase crop yield. But if the seeds are not high-yielding, no matter how much fertilizer, irrigation or pesticides are used, it is not possible to get high yield. On the other hand, if you increase the use of other materials without using high-yielding seeds, there will be no benefit, but there will be a waste of money. Use of high-yielding seeds is essential to complement the use of other inputs.

Uses of seeds: The qualities and characteristics of seeds make seeds important. Seeds are used to perform numerous vital functions in plants and animals. Hence the importance of seeds for flora and fauna is immense.

Propagation: The main means of propagation of plant parts is seeds. A tree could not leave its descendants if it could not produce seeds. The seeds protect the embryo from various natural adversities. At the right time the embryo is fed and converted into saplings, which in turn transform into trees. The seed preserves the embryo until the next production period. Many seeds live for many days. Without seeds, plants would have disappeared from the earth. At the same time, the existence of animal’s dependent on those trees was threatened.

Food: Seeds are the main food of animals and birds. Cereal seeds are the most important part of human diet. Tree seeds provide more food than any other plant or animal product on Earth. Wheat seed is ranked first as food and rice seed is second. The seeds of crops like maize, barley, sorghum, millet, pulses, oilseeds etc. are food for humans and animals. In our country, grains, especially rice seeds, supply three-fourths of the energy to the human body, that is, all the movement we are doing is coming from rice seeds.

Plant Breeding: A History of Seed Plant Breeding. People see good varieties and save seeds and grow crops from them later. Thus selection of good varieties through seeds started in the past and continues till date. It is often said that the breed is developed through seeds. However, new species are created through mutations in gonads and survive in the world through reproductive reproduction. But this system required sitting for a long time and the results were uncertain. On the other hand, if good qualities are found in any variety, the variety is being developed by producing seeds and introducing them into the as expected variety through fertilization.

Because of seed formation and viability, breeders can conserve small amounts of many plants with controlled cultivar resistance. The seeds are stored in this place where the risk is controlled, i.e., in the gene bank, which is later used for breeding. Seeds thus continue to help people in their efforts to develop better varieties of trees.

Crop Production: Crop production is unthinkable without seeds. Seed is the beginning of crop production. On the other hand, if the seeds do not germinate well, the number of plants in the field will be less and the yield will be less. Again, if the seeds are not high yielding then it is not possible to get high yield even by applying fertilizers and irrigation and suppressing diseases, insects and spiders. That is, if the seeds are not high-yielding, using other materials is a waste of money. It can be directly said that most crops would not have been produced without seeds.

Raw material: Seeds are used as raw material for the production of industrial products. Oilseeds are widely used in the cosmetic industry. The raw materials for making various chemical products are grains and oilseeds. Wheat, barley, paddy are used to make narcotic drinks. The seed is one of the main ingredients of many medicines.

Adhar in beauty: The size, shape, color etc. of the seeds are very beautiful. Each seed has a different size. The actual seeds of tobacco seeds or round potatoes are extremely small; The seed stalk is slightly larger than that. Coconut seeds or palm seeds are quite large in size. Considering the shape, it can be seen which is round, which is flat, which is oval. The color of the seed makes the seed a vessel of beauty. With the combination of every color, the seeds are like a beautiful picture drawn by the artist. The beauty of seeds feeds the human mind.

The writer is a, Agriculture and Environment Specialist, Dhaka.