The Little Seed - Wiki
In connection with seeds, you often hear terms like "seed-stable," "hybrid seed," "treated," and "genetically modified." But what exactly does all this mean? If you're still struggling with all the terminology surrounding seeds , here's a quick overview for you:
What does "seed-stable" mean?
In the past, plants were bred over generations through selective selection for desired characteristics such as site tolerance, yield, flavor, or certain visual characteristics. The result: a great variety in shape, color, flavor, and harvest time. If you plant the seeds of such plants, the plant's characteristics remain largely unchanged over many generations, making them "seed-stable"—also known as "pure" or "variety-stable." These plants are better suited for growing in your home garden or on your balcony.
Propagation of seed-stable varieties:
What are “F1 hybrids”?
Today, seeds are predominantly endowed with new traits through targeted genetic interventions and marketed worldwide by a few large corporations. The focus is now on traits such as resistance to herbicides and pesticides, durability, a visually uniform appearance, and identical harvest times – making them perfect for monocultures. Furthermore, these seeds are patented and modified so that only the first generation produces high yields – a kind of built-in copy protection.
Propagation of F1 hybrid varieties:
Since so-called hybrid seeds are not seed-stable, the resulting seeds vary greatly in their properties and can even be infertile. Seed propagation is therefore not possible, and you have to buy new seeds every year. However, hybrid varieties also have their advantages: They are relatively resistant to pests, can withstand weather conditions better, and yield a large harvest.
What does “stained” mean?
If the seeds are treated with pesticides, it is called treated seed. In special cases, it is also called "pelletized." The seeds are coated with pesticides and fertilizer. While this gives the young plants a great boost, the use of such substances is problematic and even fatal for the soil and the surrounding animals and other plants.
Special case: Cucurbitaceae
If you're propagating seeds yourself, you should be especially careful with cucurbits - even with open-pollinated seeds! Cucurbits include all zucchini , melon , cucumber , and pumpkin varieties. You can obtain new seeds from cultivated cucurbits, but mutation or cross-breeding with wild varieties can produce bitter substances that are poisonous in high concentrations. Particularly warm and dry planting periods can also reactivate bitter substances. Furthermore, you should never grow edible squash and ornamental gourds close together to avoid dangerous cross-breeding and confusion. The bitter substances can always be tasted, so always try the fruit unseasoned before preparing it in the kitchen. If it tastes even slightly bitter, you should definitely not eat it! Dispose of it with the household waste or use it solely as autumn decoration. You'll be on the safe side when growing pumpkins if you use freshly purchased organic seeds each year, especially for these plants.
Tip from Grandma:
Peeling cucumbers exclusively from the blossom to the stem. It sounds crazy, but: The toxic bitter substances are concentrated at the base of the fruit's stem and can be distributed in the wrong direction when peeling. In our grandparents' generation, the bitter part of the fruit was generously removed and the rest was eaten anyway. Thanks Grandma!!!
