TOPIC: seed quality based on emryo size

In the past members have asked me to explain further the checking of the seed embryo to determine if it is worth buying. First you crack the seed open along the centre line the seed will split in halves. I use a knife but the old growers can use their teeth. The seed should look like this right out of the stratification box in late september.The embryo has a yellow green colour and sticks out from the bean.
The bottom left seed is ready to sprout the root. All these seeds were smiling:) showing proper moisture content and embryo growth. Green seed has a small 2mm or 1/16\" in size embryo and is tuff to crack open.
While you are checking for proper conditioning you can also check for diseases this is why I use a knife not my teeth.

guy

Guy

WOW!

Excellent photo of the embryo!

I tried to explain what the embryo should look like in the spring for a few on this forum that had seeds fail to emerge. They claim that all they can see is the white pulp, no embryo.

Any way, excellent description on what the embryo should look like through the different stages. I have never seen seeds that I purchased, that did not show a healthy embryo, even in ones that were not smiling. I think most do not check for this when they recieve their seeds.

Great Post!

Thanks,
classicfur

Great Pic Guy,

I planted a 1/2 pound of hardings \"special wild strain\" seed late winter (late Jan, early Feb) and less than 1% produced seedlings.

Other beds in same area (from other seed sources) did great.

I went back to one of the beds where I had planted the hardings seed and scratched around and found 4 seeds. They were all nicely down about 3/4\" deep and the seeds still looked great. They were firm and of the 4 I found none were cracked or smiling at all, no tails.

Below is what they looked like when I split them with my knife.



That is a good of a pic as I could get with the camera I had.

I sure did not see a embryo - not developed like in your pics anyway.

The odd thing was when I got that seed some of them (just a very few - perhaps 20) had 1/4\" tails and a few were cracked. Just a very few (less than 1% sprouted) and the rest seem to be just waiting for next spring.

What do you think happened to the hardings seed I bought ?

PS - I planted it within 2-3 days of recieving it, and kept it in the fridge until I did get it planted - so it was not like I stored it for a long time improperly or anything like that.

TNhunter

This thread is very interesting to me... Thanks to you guys for the info.

The only thing I can guess at is, sometimes when I have planted late in the year with the left over stratified seed, it took an extra year. Some times a few years.
We have replanted areas where the seed didn't come up the first spring and a few years later the plotts were over crowded.

It maybe related to changing tempatures over the extra long time it was out of the stratification box before being planted. Refrigerators stop working out side when the cold comes, even if they're in a barn or shed. Mine are in a garage for security reasons and they stops holding 40-45 if the inside temp hits the same. When the seeds are in the ground their tempatures are relatively stable and if there is a change it will be a gradual one, giving you a better chance at a spring emergence.

This is why examining your seeds embryo can help save you alot of thining and transplanting.

If you can't see anything use a low power 10 times magnifier.

guy