Seed Saving presentation 2 (2)
Transcript of Seed Saving presentation 2 (2)
SEED
MATTERS
“� I have great faith in a seed.
Convince me that you have a
seed there, and I am prepared to
expect wonders.” — Henry David Thoreau
• Native Seeds/SEARCH Seed School, Bill McDorman, Jill Hought, Rowen White
• Science is Beautiful, Faculty of Science, Charles
University , Prague
• Seeds: Time Capsules of Life, Rob Kesseler, Wolfgang
Stuppy, Alexandra Papadakis, Sir Peter Crane
SEED MATTERSThe Basics of Seed Saving and Why It Matters
• Why
• What
• When
• How
• Cleaning
• Storage
• Viability
• Breeding
• Seed Libraries
• Resources
“The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is
to add a useful plant to its culture.” - Thomas Jefferson
A Little History
About 7,000 different species
of plants have been raised as
food crops in the history of
human agriculture.1
1 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Agricultural Biodiversity: Introduction. 2005
Original agricultural diversity
Loss of diversity
• 10,000 years of domestication
• Selected for desirable traits
• Specific adaptation to peculiarities of
local climate and environment
• Favorable traits bred into other
varieties
• 90 percent of our historic fruit and
vegetable varieties have vanished
Loss of diversity
• Philippines: from thousands of
varieties of rice to about 100
• China: 90 percent of the wheat
varieties cultivated just a century ago
are gone
• Half of the world's food varieties
have disappeared in past century
• Disease or climate change? Severe
gene pool reduction
Loss of diversity
+
Irish Lumper Phytophthera infestans
=
One variety + one lethal organism =
Loss of diversity
Loss of diversity
+
Banana, Gros Michel Fusarium oxysporum
=
One variety + one lethal organism =
Loss of diversity
?
First thought Cavendish was immune,
now infected in Asia and Middle East
Loss of diversity
+
Wheat, spring or winter Puccinia graminis (UG99 )
=
One variety + one lethal organism =
Loss of diversity
?Wheat stem rust, Puccinia graminis (UG99 ), is
affecting wheat in Africa, Asia and Middle East
Loss of diversity
?
Roughly 90% of world’s wheat is
defenseless against UG99
Wheat stem rust, Puccinia graminis (UG99 ), is
affecting wheat in Africa, Asia and Middle East
Only the best survive?
Loss of diversity
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
Loss of diversity
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
• Yield
• Durability
• Appearance
• Herbicide resistance
• Pesticide production
Loss of diversity
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
• Yield
• Durability
• Appearance
• Herbicide resistance
• Pesticide production
• FLAVOR
Loss of diversity
Uniform and red, but relatively tasteless
Not uniform and red, but definitely delicious!
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
• Yield
• Durability
• Appearance
• Herbicide resistance
• Pesticide production
• FLAVOR
• Texture
Loss of diversity
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
• Yield
• Durability
• Appearance
• Herbicide resistance
• Pesticide production
• FLAVOR
• Texture
• Fragrance
Loss of diversity
Only the best survive?Depends on trait selection:
• Yield
• Durability
• Appearance
• Herbicide resistance
• Pesticide production
• FLAVOR
• Texture
• Fragrance
• Disease resistance
Loss of diversity
Loss of Diversity
• Farmers and gardeners have
deferred the role of ‘creator’ to plant
breeders and confined themselves
to role of ‘users’
• Who knows best and cares more
about what will work in your specific
location?
Why
Why Save Seeds
• Fun
• Satisfying
• Challenging
• Saves money
• Easy to share
Why Save Seeds
• Helps develop plants
adapted to local conditions
• Develop seeds that thrive in
low-input organic systems
• Opportunity for stewarding
heirloom varieties
Why Save Seeds
You can play a part in
shaping the availability of
tasty, productive
vegetables and flowers
that are specifically
adapted to our organic
systems and our region
What
Some vocabulary
• Open-pollinated – any variety that breeds true when
crossed with its own variety
• Hybrid – a variety created by the crossing of two
different varieties (often labeled as F1). Does not
breed true
• Self-pollinated (selfers) – a plant that usually
reproduces using its own pollen
• Cross-pollinated (crossers) – a plant that usually
reproduces using the pollen of another plant. Can
only occur within a species.
Some vocabulary
• Heirloom – open-pollinated plants that have been
cultivated for generations. Usually applied to varieties
that pre-date 1945
• Annuals – plants that complete their life cycle in one
year, from seed to seed
• Biennials – plants whose life cycle requires two
years; growth the first year, seed production the
second
• Perennials – plants that live more than 2 years; may
be short-lived or long-lived, most produce seed during
life cycle
Some vocabulary
• Cultivar - short for cultivated variety, i.e. Purple
Graffiti, Snowball, Amazing are all cauliflower
cultivars
What to save
Be sure that the variety you select is
open-pollinated.
Hybrids do not breed true so the
generation grown from your collected
seed will likely be different than the plant
from which you collected it
Hybrid seeds must be identified on the
packet (hybrid or F1)
What to save
Start with self-pollinating varieties like:
lettuce* cilantro*
beans** fennel*
peas ** poppies*
tomatoes** dill*
* These varieties can be planted close together and produce lots of seeds
** These varieties may occasionally cross if planted very close to another variety
What to save
As you gain experience move to out-crossers:
peppers corn
cucumbers squash
melons carrots
beets spinach
brassicas onions
These varieties will cross readily and more care needs
to be taken to ensure that they are isolated to avoid
cross pollination with other cultivars in their species
What to save
Out-crossers have isolation requirements:
• distance
• time
• mechanical
Good candidates for breeding!
What to save
An interesting sub-class of out-crossers are
the biennials:
beets carrots
cabbage kale
Brussel sprouts onions
parsnips parsley
These varieties make seeds their second year so
number of plants wintered over will be small, reducing
opportunity for crossing (a type of time isolation).
What to save
Which plants are best candidates?
• desirable traits
flavor, size, hardiness, early maturity, late
bolting, vigor, yield, etc.
• consider plant health, not just fruit size
• earliest maturation
• greatest number of individual plants
• mark plants designated for saving
What to save
Which plants are best candidates?
• don’t give plants special treatment
• variety preservation has significantly
different requirements
When
When to gather seed
Seeds depend on stored nutrients
To ensure good germination and plant
vigor wait to gather seeds until they
are mature
Larger, plumper, heavier seeds are
usually more vigorous
When to gather seed
Two main categories:
• Wet-seeded (fruit with moist flesh)
• Dry-seeded (fruit dries and turns
brown when seed is ready
When to gather seed
Wet-seeded (fruit with moist flesh)
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Cucurbits
When to gather seed
Wet-seeded fruit
• choose when slightly overripe
• choose healthy fruit (no mold, etc)
• don’t let flesh dry around seeds
• tomatoes/cucumbers/melons
benefit from fermentation
When to gather seed
Dry-seeded (fruit dries and turns brown
when seed is ready)
• Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, etc.)
• Legumes (peas, beans, etc.)
• Grains
• Sunflowers, many other flowers
When to gather seed
Dry-seeded fruit
• gather before they shatter (lettuce,
peas, okra, onions, cabbage family)
• leave corn, beans on plant until
dry, if possible
• frost won’t hurt dry seeds
• store in dry protected place until
threshing
How to clean seeds
Cleaning seeds
• Less critical for home gardeners
• You decide how much chaff you
can accept (less is better)
• Different methods for wet and dry
seeds
Cleaning seeds
Wet-seeded fruit
• If seeds are ‘dry’ when extracted
(like peppers) simply remove,
label and dry for 1-2 weeks
• If seeds are ‘slimy’ (like tomatoes)
fermentation is needed to remove
germination-inhibiting coating
Cleaning seeds
Wet-seeded fruit fermentation
• Label sturdy paper cup with date,
variety and any notes
• Squeeze pulp and seeds into cup
• Add water only if necessary
Cleaning seeds
Wet-seeded fruit fermentation
• Cover with cheesecloth secured
with rubber band, optional
• Let sit until mold formation (3-5 days)
• Pour off anything floating
• Don’t leave in liquid after mold forms
– can germinate, hard on viability
Cleaning seeds
Wet-seeded fruit fermentation
• Rinse seeds, drain in sieve
• Return to labeled paper cup until
completely dry (2 weeks)
• Put in labeled seed envelope with
pertinent notes
• Store consistently cool and dry
Cleaning seeds
Threshing and winnowing are ancient
methods for extracting dry seeds
from their pods or husks
We still use variants of these
methods today
Cleaning seeds
Threshing is a way of applying
pressure to the dried fruit to break husk
and release seeds
Winnowing applies wind to remove
chaff (broken pieces of seed pod and/or
husks)
Cleaning seeds
Dry-seeded fruit threshing
• small amounts can be shelled by
hand
• thresh larger quantities by tying
seeds in pillowcase then whacking
the pillowcase with a flail
Cleaning seeds
Cleaning seeds
Cleaning seeds
Cleaning seeds
Cleaning seeds
Another home threshing method
• Tie seeds in old pillowcases (or an
old sheet sewn into a tube)
• Turn on some music and let a
couple of small children loose to
stomp
• Adults are too heavy – might
damage seed
Cleaning seeds
Dry-seeded fruit winnowing
• Use windMother Nature
hair dryer (no heat)
fan with variable speeds
• Use seed screens with graduated
mesh sizes
How to store seeds
Storing Seeds
2 important words
Storing Seeds
COOL & DRY
Storing Seeds
• Seeds are alive!
• Vigor closely tied to original seed quality
• Seed storage conditions have greater impact on viability than age
• Humidity and temperature are critical– as temp and humidity rise seeds metabolic
rate increases, seed switches on and off
Storing Seeds
• Consistent conditions are more
important than either variable
independently
• For each 18 degree drop in temp and
1% drop in seed humidity the life of
the seeds doubles– important to dry seeds properly before storage
Storing Seeds
• Application to home seed storage
• Most consistently cool and dry location
– No garages
– No sheds
– No car trunks
– No boxes in the garden
– No plastic envelopes left in the sun
Storing Seeds
• Drying seeds (Hooray for Idaho!)
– For ‘wet’ seeds - allow to dry on
ceramic plate or in paper cup for 1-2
weeks or more
– For ‘dry’ seeds – same drying time
– Storing seeds that are not adequately
dry can drastically reduce viability
Storing Seeds
• Drying seeds (Hooray for Idaho!)
– Seed snaps when bent
– Pack into paper (or plastic) envelopes
– Can use desiccant, if desired
– Store consistently cool and dry
• Can freeze if confident in seed moisture
content (desiccant is helpful here)
Storing Seeds
• Seed Storage Rule of Thumb:
The sum of the relative humidity and
temperature in the storage area
should equal less than 100
i.e. if the storage humidity is 50% then
the temperature should be less than
50 degrees
Storing Seeds
CONSISTENTLY COOL
& DRY
Checking Viability
Checking Viability
• You know your seeds’ storage
conditions
• Few things more frustrating than
bad seed
• Vigor closely tied to original quality
• Even under good conditions seeds
have storage life limits
Germination Test
1. Label paper towel, then dampen
2. Count out 10 seeds (20 is even better)
and place on towel
3. Roll up paper towel with seeds inside
4. Place inside an unsealed plastic bag
Note that
date is
on bag
6. Check every other day for 1-2
weeks (or longer if germination
time is lengthy)
5. Place in a warm spot (not over
85 degrees)
7. Calculate germination percentage
# of germinated seeds x 10 = germ. %
3 x 10 = 30%
8. Adjust sowing rate if germ rate <70%
Breeding Adventure
Teosinte
Glass Gem
Chiltepin
Mendel garden
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)
“Until recently, all gardeners and
farmers saved their own seedP”
Carol Deppe
“Pamateur plant breeding was
the only kind of plant breeding
there was.”
Carol Deppe
http://www.richmondgrows.org/create-a-library.html
Pima County Libraries
Seed Saving Resources
SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE www.seedsavers.org
INT’L SEED SAVING INSTITUTE www.seedsave.org
VEGETABLE SEED SAVING www.howtosaveseeds.com
A HANDFUL OF SEEDS: Seed-saving and Seed Study for Educators
EARTHLY DELIGHTS FARM www.earthlydelightsfarm.com
HIGH ALTITUDE GARDENS www.seedstrust.com
BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOMS www.rareseeds.com
NATIVE SEED/SEARCH www.nativeseeds.org
SEEDS OF CHANGE www.seedsofchange.com
SEED SAVING RESOURCES
Seed Savers Exchange Planting &
Seed Saving information
Vegetable Planting and Seed Saving Instructions
Arugula (Eruca sativa) - Planting: Sow seeds outdoors as soon as soil can be worked and danger of hard frost has passed. Plant seeds 1" apart and ¼" deep. Seeds will germinate in 5-7 days. Thin to 1-6" apart. For a continuous supply of arugula, sow every three weeks throughout the summer. Best grown in cooler weather. Plant in full sun or partial shade.
Seed Saving: Arugulas will cross-pollinate. Separate varieties by ¼ mile. Allow plants to bolt and form seed stalks. Seed heads may need to be protected from bird damage and rain when drying on the plants. Seeds are produced over a 2-3 week period and will require repeated harvesting.
Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) - Planting: Sow seeds outdoors after danger of frost has passed and soil and air temperatures have warmed. Plant seeds 2" apart and 1" deep in rows 36-48" apart. Beans prefer full sun. Provide support for pole beans. Harvest snap beans frequently for increased yields. Shell beans should be picked when seeds are plump in the pods. For dry beans, leave pods on the vine and harvest when completely mature and dry.
Seed Saving: Bean flowers are self-pollinating and almost never cross-pollinate. As a precaution never plant two white seeded varieties side-by-side if you intend to save seed because crossing may occur but not be visible. It is always best to save seed from plants that ripen first and are free from disease. Harvest seed pods when completely dry, crush in a cloth or burlap sack, and winnow the seeds from the chaff.
Seed Savers Exchange Planting &
Seed Saving information
Vegetable Planting and Seed Saving Instructions
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum/pimpinellifolium) - Planting: Sow seeds indoors 6 weeks before last frost. Plant ¼" deep. Seeds will germinate in 7-14 days. Transplant outdoors 24-48" apart when soil has warmed. Support indeterminate plants with a cage or trellis. Tomatoes prefer full sun.
Seed Saving: Cross-pollination between modern tomato varieties seldom occurs, except in potato leaf varieties which should be separated by the length of the garden. Do not save seeds from double fruits or from the first fruits of large-fruited varieties. Pick at least one ripe fruit from each of several plants. Squeeze seeds and juice into a strainer and wash, spread on a paper plate, and dry.
Turnip (Brassica rapa) – Planting: Sow seeds outdoors as soon as soil can be prepared in spring. Plant seeds ¼-½" deep and 2" apart in rows 24" apart. Seeds will germinate in 7-14 days. Thin to 4-6" apart. Sow every 2 weeks for continuous harvest. Quality and flavor are best if harvested when weather is cool. Turnips prefer full sun to partial shade.
Seed Saving: Biennial. Varieties must be separated by ½ mile from all other Brassicarapa when going to seed. Will overwinter in mild climates if well mulched. In northern climates trim leaves to 2" and store roots in sawdust or sand in a root cellar. Roots will store 2-4 months at 32-40° F and 90-95% humidity. Replant in the spring and harvest seed heads when dry.
References• Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth
• The New Seed-Starters Handbook, Nancy
Bubel
• Breeding Organic Vegetables: A Step-by
Step Guide for Growers, Rowen White and
Bryan Connolly
• Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, Carol
Deppe
• Growing Garden Seeds, Rob Johnston,
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
The world has become increasingly
dependent upon technology-driven,
one-size-fits-all solutions to its
problems. Yet the best hope for
securing food's future may depend
on our ability to preserve the locally
cu lt ivated foods o f the past.
Rejoin the Ritual
What are you doing today that will have relevance in a thousand years?