A driver for saving seed from all these crops types are to create a higher level of self-sufficiency and reduce food production costs, adapt to this regional climate, to preserve a local seed stock and increase seed security in BC.
Desired traits that will drive selection for;
Romaine Lettuce
- Deep green colour
- Large leaves
- Soft yet crisp leaf texture
- Good flavour
- Slow to wilt once harvested
Garden Peas
- Full pods
- Large seeds
- Good flavour
- Thin skin on pods
- Crunchy to eat
Fava Beans
- Full pods
- Large seeds
- Late flowering times
- Thin hull surrounding seed
In addition to these desired phenotypic traits the following functional traits will also be selected for;
- Slow to bolt
- Vigorous plants
- Disease resistance
- Pest resistance
- Upright plant stature
- Normal not mutated
- Dark green in colour
- Lots of flowering
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Integrating Seed Production in My Life
Next year, I will incorporate lettuce seed production into my vegetable garden. It will be separated from the vegetable production by t...
Hi Carla; Again, I'm really impressed by the level of detail you've reached in thinking about selection factors for your seed crops. In the field, it can be hard to remember all these things, so it is a good practice to bring your notes out to the field, as a reminder of the traits you're selecting for, every once in a while and look at your plants with a critical eye to see if you are achieving your goals. I'm confident you'll do a good job of selection on your seed crops.
ReplyDeleteHi Carla - I agree with Patrick, I like the level of detail you're giving re. the phenotypic traits of your particular seed crops. Because the phenotypic traits for each variety will differ significantly, I support Patrick's suggestion to take your notes out to the field when you're selecting.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Mary