SEED IMPROVEMENT, PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF VEGETABLE CROPS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Seed improvement of vegetable crops in Peninsular Malaysia is mainly geared towards introduction, selection and evaluation of existing local cultivars and introduced varieties. Some effort is also presently devoted to systematic breeding to improve vegetable crop yield.

The vegetable industry relies mainly on imported seeds. More than one million ringgit worth of seeds are imported annually. The highland temperate vegetable industry relies almost entirely on imported seeds. However, some lowland vegetable seeds are produced locally by farmers and government agencies. Some farmers also save their own seeds for the next crop.

In general, vegetable seed quality in Peninsular Malaysia is poor. Seeds produced by government agencies are however, of better quality than those on sale in the market.

Proposals for improvement of vegetable seed quality is also discussed.