Seeds Seed is a crucial agricultural input which plays major role in deciding the yield. Without good quality seeds, investment on other agro inputs like fertiliser, water, agrochemicals will not give the desired results. Universal produces quality, certified paddy seeds under the brand name of Universal Seeds. Universal seeds are widely used by farmers in Erode and Coimbatore Districts. The seeds produced are: Crop Variety Gestation Period (In days) Season Expected yield (Mts. / hectare) CO 43 135 to 140 Jun Jul 5.2 ADT 38 130 to 135 Aug Sep 5.8 ADT 39 120 to 125 Sep Oct 5 ADT 36 110 Jun Jul 5 IR 20 130 to 135 All Seasons 7.0 to 8.00 Agriculture A Universal group company, Mettupalayam Horticultural Research Farm Private Ltd operates vast tracts of farm land, where guava, chickoo, coconuts, Singapore silk cotton, lemon and paddy are grown. A large extent of the paddy from these lands is used in the production of certified seeds by The Universal Seeds Corporation, thereby providing efficient backward integration. Mixtures Mixtures are basically the major nutrients - Nitrogen (UREA), Muriate of Potash (MOP) and Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) mixed in proportions most suited for specific crops. Mixtures are very helpful for farmers because they do not have to know the specific nutrient requirements for each crop. Further, accidental damage to crops and soil due to wrong proportions is prevented. It also eliminates wastage thereby making economic sense. Universal has mixing units at Gobichettipalayam, Dharapuram, Erode, Salem and Mettupalayam, producing several Standard Mixtures and distributes them to farmers through its marketing network. Universal Standard Mixtures Standard. Mix. No. NPK Analysis (Nitrogen : Phosphate : Potash) Crops for which Recommended 2 12:6: (1.2):6 Paddy, Ragi, Cotton, Chillies, Tobacco & Vegetables. 3 8:08:16 Tapioca, Coconut, Areca nut 4 6:12:06 Potato, Paddy, Basal dressing mixtures 4a 6:12:06 Potato 5 9:09:09 Vegetables, Paddy 7 4:08:12 Ground Nut 10 15:05:05 Sugarcane 12 16:00:12 Top Dressing mixtures 14 12:04:12 Coconut and Banana 16 20:00:10 Sugarcane 18 17:17:17 Paddy 26   Tea mixture	"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one." Henry Ford