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Re: seed viability
joel b gruver wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I am wondering about the effects of storing tropical and subtropical crop
> seeds at below freezing temperatures... I assume that using special
> cryogenic technologies anything can be frozen including tissue culture
> specimens... but using a low tech home freezer will any harm occur to
> maize, curcurbits, solanaceae seeds stored below 0 C... if so what are
> the best conditions for storing these seeds ?
>
> Joel Gruver
> U of MD, Agronomy
Joel, how much below O C. do you want to go? I have successfully stored
all of the vegetable seeds you mention and then some,including all of
the grains, in a home freezer that is between 0 and 3 degrees C. The
key, of course, is to have the seed sufficiently dry for storage.
Packing dry seed in airtight jars (canning jars and unused lids work
very well) with the addition of silica gel used in flower drying will do
the job. Let the jars stand with drying agent overnight to ensure
dehydration. Then the water held within the still-living cells will be
low enough to prevent expansion and rupture of cell membranes and walls.
There is much written on this topic. Hope this helps...Geri Guidetti,
The Ark Institute
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Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times...
Book I: Food Self-Sufficiency http://www.lis.ab.ca/walton/geri.html
Grain Supply Updates: http://www.lis.ab.ca/walton/geri1.html