PDC LESSON 3.15 SEEDS – DISEAS

 

PERMACULTURE COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

PDC LESSON 3.15 SEEDS – DISEAS

 

Diseases

that are spread in, or on seeds needs to be avoided particularly if you are passing seed onto other people.

Hot water treatments-This is a safe treatment for disease such as black rot, black leaf spot and black leg in cabbage and Downey mildew in spinach.

•      Soak the seed in water held at a constant temperature of 50°C for 20 minutes.

•      After the heat treatment, dry the seed in a sieve.

 

Storing

Most vegetable and flower seed have a life span of three to five years. There are those seed like parsnip that have a very short viable seed life (they generally don’t last longer than from one season to the next. The entire umbelliferous family and allium genus have rather short-lived seed as well. The viability rate of onion seed is reduced by more than half if the seeds are stored in a warm place such as a west facing room in summer. Thick- coated seed tend to last longer and larger seed also tend to stay more viable than the smaller varieties.

 

Seeds in storage are dormant but still alive. To maintain seed viability, it is important to allow only a minimum exchange of gasses by keeping a constant temperature and humidity rate. In the open air the seed will absorb moisture and the nutrient stored inside the seed will start to oxidise. When the temperature rises, the seeds will release carbon dioxide and generate more heat. Soon the respiration rate will rise to an unacceptable level and the seed won’t be viable anymore.

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison,