Download as PDF, PPTX
Uploaded bySeeds
Saving Seeds ~ agrariana
This document provides information on seed saving and plant propagation. It begins with an overview of angiosperms and their evolution. It then discusses pollination methods in flowers and different types of plant reproduction. The bulk of the document describes techniques for different plant families, including flower structure, pollination, and seed harvesting. It covers seed processing, storage, and record keeping. It concludes with recommendations for further resources on seed saving.
More Related Content
Saving Seeds ~ agrariana
- 1. Saving Seeds Photo:Stephen Loewinsohn (stephenloewinsohn.com)
- 2. Why Save Seeds? Diversity Landrace crops Extirpation Commercial Extinction History Thriftiness Community Genetics Memory Aesthetics Politics Botanical Curiosity
- 3.
- 4. Angiosperms ƒ Floweringplants ƒ Most diverse group of land plants ƒ Together with gymnosperms are the seed- producing plants ƒ Began separating from gymnosperms 200 million y/a, first flowering 140 million y/a, widespread 100 million y/a, dominant trees 60 million y/a ƒ Distinguished from gymnosperms by flowers, endosperm within seed, production of fruit
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9. Vegetative plant propagation ƒ Bulbs ƒ Tuber cuttings ƒ Division ƒ Cuttings and graftings
- 10. Pollination Methods ƒSelf-pollinated – Inbreeders - have enclosed flowers which almost always self-pollinate. ƒ Insect-pollinated – Self-sterile/Self-incompatible ƒ Insect-pollinated - Honeybees, bumblebees, sweat bees, wild solitary bees, moths, butterflies, wasps, flies ƒ Wind-pollinated Outbreeders or cross-pollinators Perfect Flowers Unisexual Flowers
- 11. Break Find examplesof perfect and unisexual flowers. Find examples of crops without readily visible flowers. Are there any non-angiosperms in the garden?
- 12. Scientific names (LinnaeanTaxonomy) Family Genus species var. variety ‘Cultivar’ Variety - often occur in nature and most varieties are true to type Cultivar – (CULTIvated VARiety) selected and cultivated by humans, not necessarily true to type
- 13. Family Apiaceae Daucuscarota var. sativus ‘Scarlet Nantes’ Family Solanaceae Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherokee Purple’ Family Solanaceae Capsicum annum ‘Charleston Belle’ Family Cucurbitaceae Cucumis sativus ‘Parisian Pickling’ Family Cucurbitaceae Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ Family Brassicaceae Brassica oleracea cultivar group Capitata ‘Brunswick’ Family Brassicaceae Brassica oleracea cultivar group Italica ‘Romanesco Italia’
- 14. Pea Family (Fabaceaeor Leguminosae) Level: Beginner Members: Phaseolus vulgaris – common bean P. coccineus – runner bean Pisum sativum – pea Flower: Perfect Pollination: Self Harvesting: – Dry bean pods on plant – Split from pod Photo: Stephen Loewinsohn (stephenloewinsohn.com)
- 15. Nightshade Family (Solanaceae) Level: Beginner Members: Capsicum annuum – peppers Lycopersicon lycopersicum – tomato Solanum tuberosum – potato Flower: Perfect Pollination: Self Harvesting: – Collect mature fruit – Semi-wet or wet
- 16. Sunflower Family (Compositaeor Asteraceae ) Level: Beginner Members: Lactuca sativa – lettuce Cynara scolymus– artichoke Cichorium endivia – endive Flower: Perfect Pollination: Self w. insects Harvesting: – Dry seeds on plants – Hand thresh – Winnow or screen
- 17. Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae) Level: Intermediate/Beginner Members: Cucumis melo – muskmelon, cantaloupe, honeydew Cucumis sativus– cucumber Cucurbita pepo – acorn squash, zucchini Flower: Unisexual Pollination: Insects Harvesting: – Commonly hand pollinated – Collect mature – Ferment, wash, and dry
- 18. Parsley Family (Umbelliferaeor Apiaceae) Level: Intermediate Members: Apium graveolens – celery Anethum graveolens – dill Daucus carota – carrot Foeniculum vulgare – fennel Flower: Perfect, outbreeding Pollination: Insect Harvesting: – Carrot, celery, fennel are biennial – Collect dry seed heads – Pick seeds out
- 19. Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae) Level: Intermediate Members: Beta vulgaris – beet, Swiss chard Spinacia oleracea– spinach Chenopodium quinoa – quinoa Flower: Perfect, not self Pollination: Wind Harvesting: – Biennials – Collect dry seeds – Thresh and winnow
- 20. Allium Family (Amaryllidaceae) Level: Intermediate Members: Allium ampeloprasum - leeks A. cepa – onions A. Sativum - garlic Flower: Perfect Pollination: Insect Harvesting: – Biennial – Usually plant bulbs – Seeds form on flower in 2nd year of growth
- 21. Mustard Family (Brassicaceaeor Cruciferae) Level: Intermediate/Advanced Members: Brassica juncea – mustard greens B. oleracea– broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, kohlrabi B. Rapa – turnip, broccoli raab Flower: Perfect, self-sterile Pollination: Insect Harvesting: – Cool climate biennials – Collect dry seeds
- 22. Grass Family (Poaceaor Gramineae) Level: Advanced for corn Easy for others Members: Zea mays– corn Triticum aestivum - wheat Flower: Unisexual Pollination: Wind Harvesting: – Dry on plant – Thresh – Winnow
- 23. Other Families ƒAmaranthaceae – amaranth ƒ Basellaceae – malabar spinach ƒ Convolvulaceae – sweet potato ƒ Liliaceae – asparagus ƒ Malvaceae – okra ƒ Polygonaceae – Rhubarb, sorrel ƒ Portulacaceae – miner’s lettuce
- 24. Break Find examplesof as many crop families as possible. Find examples of crops that look different but are of the same genus or same species.
- 25. Heirlooms ƒ Avariety/cultivar developed and commonly grown earlier in history – how long? – may or may not have a story – not used in industrial agriculture? ƒ Open-Pollinated - The pollination of outbreeding plants by insects, birds, wind, or other natural processes. – self pollination of inbreeders – controlled pollination to maintain a variety
- 26. Hybrids ƒ F1hybrid - the offspring of a cross between two parent plants of different varieties – 'first filial' generation – creates new desired traits, most notably hybrid vigor – done under controlled conditions, often by hand, which makes F1 hybrid seed more expensive to produce – cross the F1 generation with itself you get an F2 – accused of being a form of biotechnology to control seed savers ƒ Hybrid vigor (heterosis) - If you cross two different varieties of an outbreeding plant, the offspring may well turn out bigger, faster-growing, or more productive than either of the parents. Hybrid vigor may not be passed on to the F2 generation. ƒ F2s can be saved - you are staring a breeding trial
- 27. Isolation by Distance ƒ Isolation Distances – The minimum planting separation required between two or more varieties of the same species for the purpose of keeping seed pure. ƒ Consult tables ƒ Isolation distances often for open farmland, high humidity – may be modified for arid West and heterogeneous urban locales
- 28. Advanced Isolation ƒTime ƒ Mechanical – Bagging – Blossom taping – Caging – Alternate day caging – Caging with pollinators ƒ Hand pollination
- 29. Population Size ƒNever < 6 individuals ƒ Recommended: – Inbreeders – 20 individuals – Outbreeders – 100 individuals ƒ Inbreeding depression - If an outbreeding plant self-pollinates, the offspring can turn out weaker and slower-growing than either parent, and it gets worse with each subsequent generation.
- 30. Selection Trueness-to-type Roguing Characteristics ƒ Taste ƒ Physical characteristics: Color, Size, Shape ƒ Disease resistance: blight, rust, wilt, … ƒ Drought tolerance ƒ Vigor/Performance ƒ Market concerns: easy harvest, shipability
- 31.
- 32.
- 33. Break Catalog yourcurrent garden or plan a future plot. Catalog or plan a section of the student garden.
- 34.
- 35. Processing – BasicDry Methods Dry on plant, between screens, or hang inside Picking seeds – beans, peas, corn, many herbs Seeds with chaff – lettuce, grains Winnowing/ Gravity Threshing Screening
- 36. Processing – BasicWet Methods Pick fully mature specimens ƒ Semi-wet – peppers – pick seeds, rinse, and dry ƒ Wet – tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumber – ferment, wash, then dry
- 37. Seed Processing: Part1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Uq9E7qruc By South Bay seed saver Bill Merrill (www.greengardenservice.net)
- 38. Seed Processing: Part2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbLpIQrAa_8
- 39. Seed Processing: Part3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnpWSfzWCxk
- 40. Storage ƒ Storeseed at maximum dry weight ≈ 8% seed moisture. Check for breaking or shattering. ƒ General rule: sum of temperature and relative humidity < 100 ƒ Paper envelopes are great to hold and sort seeds ƒ Containers must be air tight – glass jars, paint cans, plastic containers w. gaskets. Some people add silica dessicant. ƒ Store in a cool, dry, dark location, such as a closet ƒ Newbie mistake: seed that molds was not sufficiently dry before storage. ƒ Consult tables for storage times for viable seed. Germination rates must remain above 70%.
- 41. Advanced Storage ƒLong term frozen storage at low moisture. – At home – Germplasm collections – Seed vaults ƒ Overwintering biennials
- 42. Record Keeping Metadatais important!! Make sure you label all the containers or packages with at least the seed variety/cultivar, date collected, and source
- 43. Bay Area SeedInterchange Library (BASIL) BASIL is a free, community-based, urban seed project committed to disseminating and celebrating local varieties of seed stock and raising awareness about the importance and relationship between biological and cultural diversity. Located in the Ecology Center 2530 San Pablo Ave (near Dwight) Berkeley, CA 94702 Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. www.ecologycenter.org/basil
- 44. Seed Sources WeLike Richmond Grows www.richmondgrows.org Richmond Public Library 325 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, CA 94804 Pocket Seed Library www.pocketseedlibrary.com Hosts picnics and seed swaps Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds www.rareseeds.com Seed Bank in Petaluma Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org
- 45. Further Reading FreeResources: McCormack, Jeffrey. (2004). Isolation Distances. Saving Our Seeds. http://www.savingourseed.org/Survey/IsolationGuideSurvey.html McCormack, Jeffrey. (2004). Seed Processing and Storage. Saving Our Seeds. http://www.savingourseed.org/Survey/SeedProcessingandStorageSurvey.h tml McDorman, Bill. (1994). Basic Seed Saving. International Seed Saving Institute http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html Native Seeds|SEARCH. Seed Saving How To. http://www.nativeseeds.org/how_to/seedsave If you read one book on seed saving: Ashworth, Suzanne. (2002). Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. Seed Savers Exchange. Decorah, Iowa.
- 46. Created by MatRogers for Agrariana (www.agrariana.org)