Part 9

Seed Production

Here the radishes are allowed to “bolt”! The knowledge of seed retrieval belongs inseparably to the preservation of useful plant diversity. Students oversee this bed of seed bearing vegetables as part of a course. They are familiarized with breeding, pollination, selection and proper harvest time of the seeds.

Plant breeding and reproduction today is an independent branch of science alienated from practical horticulture. It became an area of expertise reserved to seed companies. Their goal is to develop and control highly specialized varieties demanded for industrial cultivation. Thus, the knowledge of seed reproduction has been lost to the public. It has also lost relevance in horticultural training.

Reproducing your own vegetable cultivars at home is enjoyable in any case! Try it out: allow your lettuce to bloom and form seeds for the next year. In this way, you carry on the preservation of a variety.