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Finding  and  Keeping  the  Best  Vegetable  Varieties  

Frank  Kutka,  Theresa  Podoll,  and  Steve  Zwinger    

Farm  Breeding  Club  Co-­‐Coordinators    

With  special  thanks  to  Organic  Seed  Alliance,  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  Marvin  

Baker,  and  Dave  Christensen  

Gardening  has  a  long  history  here  in  the  Dakotas  

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What  varieties  of  vegetables  shall  we  grow?  

• Hybrids  • Open  Pollinated  • Heirloom  

• Where  do  we  Jind  them?  

Seeds  to  Explore!  

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But  which  is  the  best?  

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“Ensuring  accessibility  and  suitability  of  vegetable  varieties:  Trialing  vegetable  varieties  for  traits  and  qualities  needed  by  North  Dakota  market  growers”  •  ND  Specialty  Crop  Block  Grant  funding  •  Goal  is  to  increase  the  accessibility  of  vegetable  varieties  well  suited  to  ND  

•  Partners:  •  NPSAS/FBC  •  NDSU  Plant  Science  Department  •  ND  Farmers  Market  and  Growers  Ass.  •  Entrepreneurial  Center  for  Horticulture  •  FARRMS  •  OSA  •  NOVIC  

Project objectives: • 1: Evaluate five species using replicated

variety trials • 2: Identify breeding goals for cultivar

improvement • 3: Provide variety trial data to market

farmers

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Planning  a  Trial  

• Prioritize  crop  species  • Prioritize  crop  types  • Identify  goals  of  the  trial  • ID  and  source  varieties  

                                   

What  varieties  go  into  a  trial?  

• Popular  commercial  varieties  of  the  crop  type  regionally  and  nationwide  

• Older  standards  • Heirloom  and  exotic  varieties  

 

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What  constitutes  an  effective  trial?  

• Multiple  replications  of  entries  • Consistent  Jield  conditions  • Use  border  rows  • Evaluate  trials  by  “scoring”  important  traits  

 

Randomization  and  Replication  

                                       

B   B   B   B   B   B   B  

B   3   2   1   4   5   B  

B   1   3   5   2   4   B  

B   5   2   3   4   1   B  

B   B   B   B   B   B   B  

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Soil  =  Environmental  Variation  

                                       

B B B B B B B

B 3! 2! 1! 4! 5! B

B 1! 3! 5! 2! 4! B

B 5! 2! 3! 4! 1! B

B B B B B B B

B B B B B B B

B 3! 2! 1! 4! 5! B

B 1! 3! 5! 2! 4! B

B 5! 2! 3! 4! 1! B

B B B B B B B

Marking  and  Mapping  the  Trial  

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Measuring  Characteristics  

Kale  Trial  -­‐  Seven  Seeds  Farm,  Williams  OR,  2009  

Variety   Source   Vigor      Uni-­‐form?       Flavor      

Dis-­‐ease       Pests       Overall  

                                                                                               Winterbor  F1     JSS   9   3   7   7   3   5.8  

Red  Russian     ABBO   9   9   5   5   5   6.6  

Red  Russian     UPR   7   7   5   5   1   5  

*Red  Russian     SSF   9   9   5   5   7   7  

Toscano     JSS   3   7   7   9   5   6.2  

*Lacinato     WGS   7   7   7   7   7   7  

Starbor  F1     JSS   5   5   3   7   5   5  

Ripbor  F1     JSS   3   9   5   5   3   5  

*Blue  Vates     ABBO   5   9   5   7   5   6.2  

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Marvin  and  Ilene  Baker  Carrot  Screen  2012  

Foliar  disease  Root  shape  Root  tip  [ill  

Root  tip  smoothness  Root  [lavor  

Root  sweetness  Yield  

The  Flavor  Critics:  " Educators " Farmers " Extension agents " Spouse " Shareholders " Customers " Neighbors " Youth " Employees " Your Best Friend " Siblings

!!!

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Peanut  Arachis hypogaea  

How  do  we  save  the  seeds?  

Coriander  

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Annual  Plants    Plants  that  complete  the  seed  cycle  in  one  season.    

• Examples:  Lettuce,  SunJlowers,  Corn,  Cucumbers,  Broccoli,  Beans,  Peas.  Tender  perennials-­‐Tomatoes,  Winter  annuals-­‐  Spinach,  Chicory  

• Much  variation  in  time  of  Jlowering.  

• Must  plant  early  enough  for  seed  set.  

Biennial  Plants  Complete  their  seed  cycle  in  two  years  •  Example:  Carrots,  Beets,  Cabbage,  Celery,  Onions,  Parsnips,  Swiss  Chard,  Turnips  

•  Some  require  vernalization  to  germinate  well  

• Must  consider  both  vegetative  and  storage  stages  of  life  cycle.  

•  Plant  for  optimum  over-­‐wintering  size  and  condition.  Expect  to  lose  some  of  crop  over  winter.  

•  Special  selection  considerations.  

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Perennial  Plants    Plants  that  produce  seed  a  year  or  two  after  growing  and  continue  producing  for  several  years.    

• Example:  Rhubarb,  Asparagus,  Sunchokes,  Tree  and  small  fruits,  Many  ornamental  Jlowers,  Many  culinary  and  medicinal  herbs.  

• Must  be  winter  hardy  for  your  area.  

• Some  require  vernalization  to  germinate  

• Often  don’t  produce  large  quantities  of  seed  each  year.    

Self  Pollinating  -­‐  Cross  Pollinating

IN  BREEDERS   OUT  BREEDERS  

Peas      Lettuce      Tomato      Peppers      Spinach      Brassica      Beets        Squash      Corn  

3  ft  5ft    20ft            500ft          1mile                      2miles              2+miles  

Self  pollinating  Minimum  isolation    

Cross  Pollinating  Longer  isolation  

5  plants  ok  

50  plant  min  

200  +  plants  recommended  

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Timing  of  Harvest  • Plant  early  enough  for  seed  maturity  and  then  harvest  at  optimum  seed  set  and  maturity.  

Harvest Techniques

• Cutting  or  Pulling  Plants  

• Picking  

• Bucket  Threshing

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Wet Seed Methods

• Harvest ripe fruit

• Extract and clean seed

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Seed  drying  options  

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Threshing    Releases  seed  and  breaks  up  plant  material  

Screening

• Separation by size

• Remove debris

• Hardware cloth, window screen, etc.

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Winnowing

Tabletop Clipper Tester & Cleaner

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Seed Storage • Moisture Content - silica gel

• Cleanliness; Insects

• Temperature F + Humidity = < 100

• Containers: envelopes, jars, rubbermaid, tupperware, bags

• Location: dry, cool, refrigerators and freezers, temperature fluctations

• Envelope test

What  about  variety  improvement?  

• Available  varieties  may  not  be  the  most  adapted  or  productive  

• Available  varieties  may  not  be  the  most  marketable  or  desirable  

• You  may  want  independence  and  control  over  your  variety  and  seed  source  

• You  need  an  enjoyable  and  outrageously  rewarding  hobby  that  could  grow  into  a  career!  

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“This  bulletin  is  written…  to  present  to  the  people  of  North  Dakota  a  picture  of  the  steps  necessary  in  the  development  of  a  new  

variety…  so  that  they  may  perhaps  be  stimulated  to  undertake  practical  plant  breeding  themselves.”  

 A.F.  Yeager,  NDAC,  Sunshine  Sweet  Corn,  1927    

Step  1:    Set    Objectives  

“One  of  the  principal  jobs  is  to  recognize  the  need  for  a  variety  of  a  particular  kind.    With  the  need  known  we  can  then  proceed  to  produce  a  variety  to  meet  it.”        A.F.  Yeager,  1927  

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h=p://www.liseed.org/acorndiv.html  

h=p://seedsavers.org/  

h=p://www.territorialseed.com  

h=p://www.fao.org/nr/cgrfa  

Step  2:    Find  Parents  

Step  3:    Make  Crosses  

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Step  4:    Select  Offspring  

Step  5:    Evaluate  

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The  process  takes  5-­‐10  years  

“Dakota  Tears”  Onion  • David  Podoll  of  Fullerton,  ND  wanted  healthy,  long  storing  onions  he  could  grow  in  North  Dakota.  

• He  kept  bulbs  from  a  number  of  varieties  that  had  performed  well  and  replanted  out  those  that  stored  well.  

• Process  repeated  for  many  years  (plant  seed,  select  bulbs,  store,  reselect  bulbs,  plant  selected  bulbs,  collect  seed).  

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“Dakota  Tears”  Onion  

• Dakota  Tears  was  released  after  some  years  and  the  seed  is  sold  commercially.  

“Dark  Star”  Zucchini  • Bill  Reynolds  and  Donna  Ferguson  grew  “Raven”  Zucchini  for  San  Francisco  markets  where  preferred  type  is  dark  green,  8”  long,  and  2”  in  diameter  

• Due  to  seed  shortage,  began  growing  the  OP  “Black  Beauty”  instead,  but  had  many  off  types  

• Crossed  Black  Beauty  and  Raven,  then  conducted  mass  selection  for  four  years  followed  by  selJing  and  evaluation  of  the  best  selfed  lines.    Best  one  released  as  Dark  Star.  

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www.organicseedalliance.org  

Dave  Christensen  of  Big  Timber,  Montana  

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Dave’s  Painted  Mountain  

Resources  n  Northern  Plains  Sustainable  Agriculture  Society  Farm  Breeding  Club  (www.npsas.org)  

n  Organic  Seed  Alliance  (www.seedalliance.org)    n  Seed  to  Seed  by  Suzanne  Ashworth  n  Buffalo  Bird  Woman’s  Garden  by  Maxidiwiac  and  Gilbert  Wilson  

n  Breed  Your  Own  Vegetables  by  Carol  Deppe  n  Seed  Savers  Exchange  (WWW.SeedSavers.Org)  

n  www.howtosaveseeds.com    

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Thank  You!