Effort of national seed laboratory to guard seed quality in Timor-Leste

Simão M. Belo, Fernando Soares, Odete Ximenes, Maria L. de C. R. Seixas, Juliana Maia, Marcal Ximenes, and Asep Setiawan

The First National Seed Laboratory of Timor-Leste was established in 2013. It is located inside the MAF compound. The laboratory is furnished with the most important equipment needed to conduct seed testing for seed certification. Routine seed testing such as seed moisture content, physical seed purity, and seed germination test can be done in the laboratory. Basic ISTA rules with some modifications are implemented by trained seed analysts to asses seed quality of released varieties in Timor-Leste. Certified seed and commercial seed of maize-Sele, maize-Noi Mutin, rice-Nakroma, and peanut-Utamua are the most commonly tested seeds in the laboratory. If there is a request, the seed lab also conducts seed testing of imported seed. Tetrazolium test, seed dormancy breaking by using KNO3 or heat can also be conducted in the laboratory.

An effort to develop system of sweet potato cutting multiplication in Timor-Leste

Asep Setiawan, Simão M. Belo, Fernando Soares, Paulo Soares and Luis Siki

Healthy cutting is an important factor to achieve good production of sweet potato. Virus disease is the most common problem that could lead to reduction of total sweet potato yield up to 35%  or more. Transmission of the viral disease occurs through the plant’s sap. Contaminated equipment and insects become the main medium for the spread of the diseases caused by the virus. Two major vector of sweet potato virus are White fly and Aphids. SPFMV viral disease is transmitted by Aphids while SPCSV viral disease is transmitted by Whitefly. Combination of SPFMV and SPCSV causing SPVD viral disease that could affect severe yield losses. The use of mother plants which have been identified as pathogen tested sweet potato followed by careful propagation under a screen house screen is a key technique in the multiplication of pathogen tested sweet potato cutting.

Certified seed production of rice seed in Timor-Lest

Simão M. Belo, Basilio Pires, Cipriano Martins, Mario da Costa, Fernando Soares and Asep Setiawan

To supply quality seed of Nakroma for commercial seed production, Seed Department in collaboration with contract farmers produce certified seed yearly. Certification procedure is implemented by seed officer both in the field and in seed laboratory. Four time field inspection was done by seed officer during the growing period of the crop. Seed testing to determine seed moisture content, physical purity and germination rates is done in Seed laboratory by using random seed sample taken seed officer.

Source seed production of maize in Timor-Leste

Asep Setiawan, Simão.M. Belo, Rafael Feliciano, Dorilanda Lopes, Agostinho Alves, Moises Sarmento, Andre Alves and Nelia Aniseto

Certified seed production of peanut-Utamua in Timor-Leste

Basilio Pires, Constantinho da Costa, Marcal Ximenes,  Jose R. Sako, Celestina da Costa, Asep Setiawan, Simão M. Belo and Fernando Soares