Producing high-quality seeds of an heirloom cabbage in different crop management systems

Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

proofread

A new study, conducted by the University of Florida, on heirloom cabbage production sheds light on how different crop management systems affect seed quality. The research highlights the potential for sustainable and resilient farming practices to enhance seed quality for this prized variety. The work is published in the journal HortScience.

Heirloom cabbage, valued for its rich flavor, genetic diversity, and adaptability, is a staple in organic and sustainable farming systems. The study focused on comparing the impact of various crop management practices, including conventional, organic, and integrated systems, on the production of high-quality seeds.

On-farm seed production is the practice of farmers producing, saving, and disseminating seeds directly from their own crops. On-farm seed production of open-pollinated crops was standard practice throughout most of our agricultural history.

Factors such as the advent of hybrid varieties, intellectual property protections, and extensive consolidation within a once-diverse global seed industry have contributed to the substantial decrease in on-farm seed production. Resultant erosion of technical knowledge related to seed production and storage practices, particularly in farming locales outside of traditional seed production areas, may have also contributed to the precipitous decline of this practice.

Nonetheless, on-farm seed production presents opportunities and challenges that may have large impacts on smallholder farmers (i.e. farmers who manage 1 to 10 hectares). In response, some southeastern farmers are expressing interest in the nearly lost practice of producing farm-grown seeds from open-pollinated crops, particularly for species that may demonstrate appropriate market demand and regional adaptability. "Yukina Savoy" (Brassica rapa L.) is an heirloom, cool weather, annual vegetable crop that meets these criteria.

Farmers who opt for direct seeding may have to overseed to compensate for emergence failure. The economic consequences include the cost of additional seeds and the labor necessary to thin the field. Furthermore, overseeding may create competition for space and resources in the seedling rhizosphere. Seed vigor also has a direct relationship to vegetative growth, so high-quality seeds are crucial for crops such as "Yukina Savoy" that are harvested for their vegetative mass.

The authors found that "Yukina Savoy" seeds produced on the three Florida farms displayed a slight advantage in total germination (viz. 99%) during laboratory tests compared with seeds from the commercial, parental seed lot (94%). However, the locally saved seed lots displayed faster and more uniform germination than seeds from the commercial seed lot. They observed similar patterns of emergence when evaluating seedlings produced in the non–climate-controlled greenhouse.

Moreover, seedlings from locally sourced seeds were on average 1.25-fold larger than seedlings from commercially sourced seeds. Collectively, this variation suggests potential vigor differences between the local and commercial seed lots.

The authors concluded that production of high-quality vegetable seeds in north-central Florida is achievable despite the climatic challenges that plague this region and different cultivation practices employed by farmers.

Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of seed vigor, in addition to seed viability, as an important component of seed quality that should be investigated for other crops that farmers may target for seed production. Results from this study may spark further enthusiasm among southeastern farmers to consider on-farm seed production.

More information: Jena Osmani et al, Producing High-quality Seeds of an Heirloom Cabbage in Different Crop Management Systems, HortScience (2023). DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI17173-23

Journal information: HortScience

Provided by American Society for Horticultural Science