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Post by reed on Oct 20, 2015 12:08:52 GMT -5
Say, for example, you have some really old seeds and say 3% of them sprouted. Is it possible that some genetic difference allowed that 3% to survive longer than the others? If not then what other factor could explain it? What if you stored some seeds with little effort to provide ideal conditions. Maybe keep them in an unheated shed protected from critters but not sealed in glass or metal, subject to all the changes of humidity and temperature that happen over winter. Could you select for ones genetically more able to withstand that kind of treatment?
Might not the ideal moisture content and constant conditions we strive for in storing our seeds be inadvertently making a stock of wimpy seeds?
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Post by toad on Oct 20, 2015 12:41:45 GMT -5
I store my seeds at room temperature. Years ago I stored in refrigerator for a few years. I like the simple room storage.
I've also considered storing in the garden shed. But humidity and fluctuating temperatures is also what drives germination. Selecting for good shed storage would probably also select for seeds with delayed and asynchronous germination in the sowing bed.
This could be a good thing in some crops, leading to a longer harvest season from same sowing. But for crops where I race against first autumn frost, I want all my seeds to germinate as fast as possible, for a longer growing season.
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Post by billw on Oct 20, 2015 14:01:39 GMT -5
Genetics certainly are a big contributor. I have a line of parsnips that I have grown from old seed. For the first generation, I asked for people to donate seed that was five years old or older. I sowed a few thousand seeds and got about 80 plants. That was in 2009. Then I waited three years and grew it in 2013. Germination was 86%. I will grow it again from the 2010 harvested seed next year and see how it compares.
Ultimately, I'd like to get it to 75% or better germination after 5 years of room temperature storage and then try to cross it back to a parsnip with more regular roots.
The only problem is that breeding for this kind of trait takes a really long time!
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Post by reed on Oct 20, 2015 20:36:41 GMT -5
I don't think I will actively work to select just for long term storage in less than perfect conditions. I just wondered what other people thought about it. After all people saved seeds for a long time before dehydrators and freezers came along. I can't grow everything every year and wondered if I don't get to something for years and some don't survive what might come of the ones that do. I think it would be OK if they inherit a store-able gene or two.
I just let them dry on their own. I have freeze treated seeds but I don't keep them there to store. I have an old metal wardrobe with welded seams that I laid down on it's back and I put my seeds in it. Some are in glass or plastic jars and some in bags. Nothing can get in there and any temp changes happen gradually.
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