Adaptive Seed Breeding

Local Seeds for Local Food

A talk with Julia Dakin

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Outline– Land Together presentation

• Talk about challenges
• heat, drought, plant stress
• getting seeds and materials inside
• 3 feet tall limit
• plant breeding is hard!

Now Imagine: Gardening without Buying anything

Problem:

Far away and Long Ago

different climates, pest pressures

Why don’t we save seeds?

1. “I’m not sure if it’s worth the time/ effort”
2. “I don’t want weird vegetables I can’t sell”
3. “Too many rules, I don’t know enough”

• Reliably grow delicious food
• Independence from the supply chain, including seeds
• Heat and drought resilient Garden
• Spend less money
• Less stress, More Fun

We Want This:

I focused on soil and farming practices:

Soil testing and re-mineralizing

Landrace

A variety that is:

• Locally Adapted
• Community Selected
• Dynamic and Diverse

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Long Term Community Food Security

• “I’m not sure if it’s worth the time/ effort”

If we Want This:

‘Adapt and Steward’ Mindset

• Farmers of the last 10,000 Years
• Our Great Grandparents
• Many Indigenous Farmers today around the world

Organic Agriculture

Adapt

over Time

Change the

environment

vs

Adaptation agriculture

Family:

Nightshade

Brassica

Grasses

etc

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Species:

Tomato

Potato

Peppers

Eggplant

etc

Variety:

Brandywine

Sungold

Roma

etc

Do not cross-pollinate

Prefer to cross-pollinate`

GETTING STARTED

The First Year

Choose 1-2

projects to start

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Learn more about

that species

Gather Seeds

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• Mix chosen varieties together

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• No pollination distance requirements!

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• No minimum population size!

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break the seed saving “rules”

Save seeds

Save seeds from healthiest plants

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Yield and plant health will be much higher

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Start selecting for best flavor

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Second Year

Colorful varieties have up to 200 times more antioxidants

“Magical Year”

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Taste everything

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Third Year:

-Save seeds from whatever you enjoy eating-

-Trade with your community-

Onward

• Spend less time and money
• Long term food security
• More diversity

Benefits to Sharing Seeds

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1. Encourage selection by the local ecosystem
2. Increase Diversity– Promiscuous Pollination
3. Select for characteristics that you value
4. Save seeds, or plant local seeds
5. Share seeds with your community

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The Five Principles of

Adaptation Gardening

the rest are random slides I didn’t use but might be useful

100 ft

Crosses to avoid

30 ft

Crosses to avoid

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To avoid

cross pollination:

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30 ft- ish

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Explanation of Squash Species

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–Maxima

–Moschata

–Pepo

-(Mixta)

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Don’t cross with each other

• Butternut
• Long Island Cheese
• Dickenson
• Musquee de Provence
• Seminole
• Trombocino

Moschata

Distinctive, Smaller Seeds

Hard narrow stems, usually ridged, five sided and flared

C. Maxima

Common Varieties:

• Buttercup
• Hubbard
• Kabocha
• Banana
• Red Kuri
• Sweetmeat

Maxima

Stems are larger and softer/spongy

Seeds are larger, white or brown

C. Pepo

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• Zucchini
• Patty pan
• Yellow summer
• Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins
• Acorn
• Delicata
• Hulless pumpkins
• Spaghetti

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Pepo

“Bitter squash syndrome”

GoingToSeed.org

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Mission: Going to Seed seeks to inspire a shift in agriculture towards adaptation, community, and diversity.

Community

Courses

Seeds

Community

(Everybody) Brainstorm then choose 3 favorites:

What seeds will you share next February?

–Sign up for a species

-Optional: Connect Throughout the Year

–Gain Access to others’ seeds at the Seed Circle next year

What do you need to succeed to bring seeds back?

• Monthly events. topics?
• online
• In person
• Facebook group or other online community space?
• Commitment with Incentive
• Access to others seeds?

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• Look for seeds that have already been growing in harsh environments (High desert, Local). Preferable mixes.
• Find seed exchanges, online groups etc for free seeds
• Choose at least 2 varieties in the species
• Avoid Commercial Hybrids (male sterile genes)

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Neglect, plant stress and nutrient density

“Xenohormesis”

Modern agriculture-

Conventional, Organic, Regenerative

‘Buy and Do’

Crosses to avoid (at first)

Modern

Traditional

Landrace

We need more tools:

Adapt and Steward

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Increase Diversity

#1: Increase Diversity

• ‘Hybrid vigor’, plant health
• Adaptation

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