Preserving Seed Viability
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Preserving Seed Viability
- From: H* E* P*
- Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 18:31:21 -0700
- References:
pumpkins@mallorn.com wrote:
>
> The 567.5 is considered by many to be the best of the best.
> It has the track record to prove it. The only downfall is that any
> remaining seeds from this pumpkin are very old. Seven years old !!!
> So very few of them will germinate.
>
> Brad Walters
The two enemies of germination are heat and moisture. The USDA seed
storage facility, Fort Collins, CO stores dry seed in heat sealed bags
having paper, aluminum foil, polyethylene layers. I think the main
purpose of the polyethylene is to provide heat seal. The bags are stored
in liquid nitrogen. Those tanks are about 5 feet in diameter and they
have a large room full of them. I believe they expect to have good
viability for 100 years.
How long do pumpkin seeds last and under what storage conditions. It
is not too difficult to make your own heat sealed bags and place
properly dried seeds and silica gel inside the bags of seeds. Finding
someone to put the seeds in liquid nitrogen is not imposssible. I paid
about $300 for my large used freezer. Many farmers have them. The big
problem is keeping them filled with liquid nitrogen. I lost my supplier
soon after he sold me the refrigerator 15 years ago. I used it to store
microbes.
If special Germplasm of AG became available, the USDA might store it
for us. I am only guessing.
--
Harold Eddleman Ph.D. Microbiologist. i*@disknet.com
Location: Palmyra IN USA; 36 kilometers west of Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab = Agriculture, science projects
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