Unit 3 /10-31-22 Flashcards
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Cytoplasmic male sterility
If you collected the seeds from your hybrid they would
not be great, hybrid benefits only come from first gen seeds from non hybrid parents
Benefits from hybrids
High yields
vigor and uniformity
Expensive
Cannot save seeds
Open pollinated
Self pollinate or cross-pollinate with other plants
How to store seeds
Keep in cool, dry place
Paper packets are best kept in
tightly closed jars or containers
and maintained around 40°F with
low humidity.
What is required for seeds to germinate?
Water, temp, oxygen
light is not required for all seeds
Those interested in saving seeds should
stick with open-pollinated varieties,
because seed saved from hybrids does not
“breed true”; the next generation won’t
look exactly like the original variety.
Water
- Water is the critical first step
- Without water, seeds will remain dormant
- Too much water causes seeds to rot
- Too little water causes the embryos to die
- Try not to displace seeds by excessive flooding. Germination
Oxygen
- All viable seeds need oxygen.
- Seed respiration rate increases
dramatically during germination. - Growing medium must be loose
and well-aerated. - Too much water can inhibit
germination!
Light
- Some seeds require light to germinate.
- Dill, - Some seeds require darkness to germinate.
- Kale and cauliflower - Some light is not a factor in germination.
How to plant seeds that require light?
- When sowing light-requiring seeds, do not bury them.
- Cover them lightly with fine peat moss or fine vermiculite.
- Provide supplemental light for 6-12” above the seeds for 18 h per day.
Temperature
- Each plant has a specific optimum and range within which germination will occur.
- Cool-season Crop
- Peas = Hypogeal - Warm-season crops
barley, oats, canola = 40-68
Cool-season vegetables
- Asparagus, beets, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, chives, cabbage,
carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard,
kale, leek, lettuce, onion,
parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach,
and turnips.
Less susceptible to frost damage
Warm-season vegetables
- Beans, corn, cucumbers,
eggplant, melons, peppers,
zucchini and summer squash,
pumpkin and winter squash,
sweet potato, tomato,
watermelon.
Establishing Seedlings
- After germination, seedlings must receive bright light.
- Insufficient light causes seedlings to “stretch”
Seedlings
- Ideally, seedlings should be dark green and sturdy.
- Symptoms of nutrient deficiencies include pale yellow
foliage, purpling of leaves (older plants).
Very sensitive to water
Transplanting and Handling
- If plants have not been seeded in
individual containers, they must
be transplanted. - What happens if you leave the
seedlings too long? - Ideal time is when the first true
leaves appear between the
cotyledons (called “seed” leaves).
Types of ways to mess up seedling
light, pot too long, water, fertilizer
Transplanting
- Carefully dig up the small plants with a knife or wooden pot ladle.
- Gently ease them apart in small groups to make separating individuals easier (do not tear roots).
- Handle small seedling by their leaves, not their delicate stem
- After transplants, seedlings need nutrients.
- Some commercial soil mixes have fertilizer already added.
- If you are using media without fertilizers, you will need to add supplemental nutrients.
- Young seedlings are easily damaged by too much fertilizer, especially if they are under moisture stress.
How do you know if you should add fertilizer to your plant
Containers
- Garden containers come in many different types and materials.
- Examples wooden or plastic flats, trays, cell-packs, and pots for starting seeds.
- Drainage at the bottom of the container is critical for plants.
- Drainage allows water in the soil to drain freely so adequate air is available for the roots.
- Few plants can survive in stagnant water!
examples that can grow in low oxygen tensions
rice
What is the most prominent gas in out atmosphere
approx. 80%
All plants use _________ in the form of ammonia?
Nitrogen