1. Saving Seeds for a
Food-Secure Future
Heidi Kratsch
Area Horticulture Specialist

2. What is a Seed?
O Product of
sexual
reproduction
O Maximizes
genetic diversity

3. Genetic diversity is decreasing
O 95% of human food needs now
provided by just 4 crops: rice,
wheat, corn, potatoes.
O Industrial agriculture focuses on
only a handful of cultivars.
O 75% of agricultural genetic
diversity disappeared in the last
century.

5. Wheat Stem Rust (Ug99)
O First identified in
Uganda in 1999.
O Has spread through
Africa into the
Middle East.
O ~90% of world‟s
wheat is
defenseless against
this virulent strain. Puccinia graminis

6. The Irish Potato Famine

7. Panama Disease
O 1950s – „Gros
Michel‟ – wiped
out!
O Today –
„Cavendish‟- it‟s
dying!
O Future – do we
need a new
cultivar?

8. The Corn Monoculture

9. Bringing back biodiversity

11. Step 1: Avoid growing
F1 hybrids
O Almost all corn
seed
O Many varieties of
cross-pollinated
species
O Must buy new
seeds every year

12. Choose open-pollinated
O Come true to type
O The easiest are self-pollinated:
beans, peas, tomatoes,
peppers
O Heirloom varieties – saved
through generations of families
and neighbors
O History goes back
12,000 years!

13. Step 2: Protect varietal purity

14. Flower Structure

15. Definition of Terms
O Annual, biennial, perennial
O Perfect flower
O Self-incompatible
O Imperfect flowers
O Monoecious (single house)
plants
O Dioecious (two houses) plants

16. Self-Pollination

17. Bagging self-pollinators
Bagging flowers on
pepper plants

18. Plants self-pollinate in the bag
Treated paper bags
Reemay bags

19. Cross-
Pollination

20. Cross-pollination by insects
O Cucurbits
O Brassicas
O Umbelliferae

21. Cross-pollination by wind
O Corn
O Spinach
O Beets
O Chard

22. Isolate plants that readily
cross-pollinate
O Distance
O Time
O Bagging
O Caging

23. Pollination Cages
O Frame: O Covered with:
O Wood O Spun
O Wire polyester cloth
O Plastic pipe
(Reemay)
O Window
O Metal tubing
screen

24. Alternate Day Caging
O Need a
minimum of
two cages.
O Alternate days
open to
pollinators.
Kale and cabbage will readily cross pollinate.

25. Caging with
pollinators

26. 1 2
3 4

27. Step 3: Rogue plants for
trueness to type

28. Select desirable characteristics
O Vigor
O Earliness
O Drought resistance
O Insect resistance
O Flavor
O Late bolting in
cool-season crops

29. Ample population size
O Especially
important for
cross-pollinating
plants.
O Select a minimum
of 6 plants for
seed saving.
O More plants =
more genetic
diversity

30. Step 4: Harvest Seeds

31. Overwintering Biennials
O Biennials include:
O Carrot, celery, O Seed-to-seed method
parsley
vs.
O Beet, chard
O Leek, onion O Seed-to-root-to-seed
O Rutabaga, turnip, method
parsnip
O Broccoli, kale,
brussels sprouts

32. Root
Cellaring

33. Onions (Allium cepa)
Cepa group
O Biennial, self-
pollinating
O Overwinter in
ground or lift bulbs.
O Bulbs – harvest
seed first season
O Seed – harvest Don‟t wait too long to
seed second harvest seed or the seed
season. heads will shatter!

34. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea)
O Biennial, cross-
pollinating (insect)
O Will cross with all other
plants of this species.
O Do not eat plants grown
for seed.
O Use cold frame, small
hoop house to
overwinter.

35. Beets and Chards
(Beta vulgaris)
Up to 4 feet tall!
Biennial, cross-pollinated (wind) – bag or cage

36. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Male plant with flowers
Female plant with seeds
Dioecious, annual, cross-pollinating (wind)

37. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
O Self-pollinating O Seeds ripen 12-24
days after flowering
annual
O Bolts in response to
lengthening days
O Head-lettuce types
need to be slit to
allow seed stalk to
emerge.

38. Squash (Cucurbita pepo)
Acorn, crookneck, scallop, zucchini
O Monoecious, cross-
pollinating (insect)
annual
O Cut fruit from vine
and let sit for 3
weeks or longer
before harvesting
Male flower Female flower
seed.

39. Pea (Pisum sativum)
O Self-pollinating
annual
O Allow pods to dry
on the vine.
O Freeze pods in
airtight container
for 3-5 days to kill
Peas and beans are easy for
weevil eggs. beginning seed savers.

40. Carrot (Daucus carota)
O Biennial, cross-
pollinated (insect)
O Use seed-to-root-to-
seed method
O Umbels can be left
to dry on the plant,
or
O Cut and air-dry.
O De-bearding is
unnecessary.

41. Corn (Zea mays)
O Cross-pollinated
(wind) annual
O Tassels vs. silks
O Grow in blocks
O Susceptible to
inbreeding depression
O Dry ears on the stalk,
or remove and dry
under shelter

42. Step 5: Clean seeds
O Dry processing
O Wet
processing
O Fermenting
O Rinsing
O Decanting

43. Dry processing –
threshing, winnowing

44. Wet processing
O Remove seeds
from fruit
O Wash and
rinse
O Air-dry
O Ferment –
Tomato seeds must be
tomato, fermented to remove gelatinous
cucumber coating.

45. Fermentation

46. Step 6: Store seeds
O Excellent
storage
produces
vigorous seeds.
O Two enemies:
O High
temperature
O High moisture

47. Long-term storage
O Cool, dry
conditions
O Envelopes
O Moisture-proof
container or
freezer
O Must be “very
dry.”

48. Getting to “very dry”
O Fan/air
conditioner
O Food
dehydrator
O Silica gel
O Check daily
until between 5-
7% moisture

49. Testing for Dryness
O Weigh before and after drying
slowly in an oven at low
temperature.
O Seed moisture content (%) =
fresh seed weight – dry seed
weight ÷ dry seed weight ×
100%

50. Long-term storage
O Frozen seeds last Supplies:
up to 10 times O Seed Savers
longer Exchange –
O Store in paper www.seedsavers.org
envelopes with
silica gel
“dessicant” for one
week.
O Allow frozen sealed
jar to reach room

51. Keep good records
O Keep a card for
each variety.
O Plant and variety
O Source, date
obtained
O Germination %
O Date stored
O Accession
number
O Last year grown

52. Veggies generally not grown
from seed
O Potato
O Garlic
O Artichoke
O Asparagus
O Sweet potato
O Rhubarb

53. Questions?