|
Untitled document
Heirlooms of Tomorrow
Recognizing that seed knowledge is being lost even more quickly than genetic diversity, OSA trains farmers in basic on-farm seed saving, crop improvement and plant breeding practices that are grounded in an ecological agricultural approach. The work of OSA goes “beyond conservation” to increase genetic diversity through participatory seed projects with these farmers. Beyond the benefit of increased seed security, these regional networks of farmers also result in improvements in quality of life for farmers and their rural communities. We work with farmers through our Heirlooms of Tomorrow program to breed new varieties and restore older varieties for the needs of organic farming and gardening. These are varieties that do well without synthetic inputs, and that have broad genetic adaptability that allows them to be selected for local environments. They will stand up over time, thrive under organic conditions, and be worked with and handed down by farmers and gardeners for many generations to come as the “heirlooms of tomorrow”.
Three of the Heirlooms of Tomorrow varieties currently underway are our Abundant Bloomsdale spinach, John Navazio's Rhubarb Supreme red chard, and Frank Morton's Hyper Red Rumple Waved lettuce.
Spinach, Abundant Bloomsdale (Experimental):
 The fire at the offices of Abundant Life Seed Foundation in August of 2003 was devastatingly sad news for all of us. The seed that survived was primarily that which was planted in the field that summer at our farm and the farms of our Seed Growers Network. At our local farm we had a mixed population of spinach, a cross of Winter Bloomsdale and a handful of University of Arkansas savoyed materials bred by Dr. Teddy Morelock. Winter Bloomsdale is an old OP known and loved by many farmers and gardeners. Dr. Morelock's materials were bred for good disease resistance – especially for overwintering. Our population had been started by our breeder, Dr. John Navazio, in his backyard the year before. When we harvested the seed in 2003 we decided to dedicate this breeding project to the history of Abundant Life, and so Matthew christened it Abundant Bloomsdale. This is not to say that this is primarily a Bloomsdale variety. The diverse parentage in the initial breeding population resulted in a wide range of plant types. We began to work with local farmers to refine this breadth of materials into a more harmonious variety. We are now in the fifth year of selection out of John's backyard population. Five different farms have worked with OSA staff in what has truly been a participatory plant breeding project. This is not a completed variety, but rather an experiment in progress. We hope to release it to the public in 2008 or 2009, but are making the 2006 experimental population available to you. As an experimental, Abundant Bloomsdale is still variable – you will occasionally find different leaf shapes, colors, degrees of upright or prone plants, and rates of growth. Generally, the variety is developing into a plant that is upright (to avoid diseases residing in the soil), dark green (for higher nutritional value) and rounded leaves, capable of handling overwintering in many zones, and also a good fall- and spring-planted variety. It will be hardy – a workhorse. We welcome your feedback and invite you to select your own favorite plants and save seed to breed your own and help us expand the Heirlooms of Tomorrow.
Red Chard, Rhubarb Supreme (Released):
Rhubarb Chard is an old standby for many gardener and farmers. It was first offered by Burpee in 1941, a selection that their breeders made out of Crimson Giant Swiss Chard. Unfortunately, many older open-pollinated varieties get less and less attention from seed companies because they are not as profitable as hybrids. The wonderful smaller companies that still offer them often don't have plant breeders on staff to maintain the varietal integrity, much less to make improvements. In his years as a farmer and then as a commercial plant breeder, Dr. John Navazio saw this variety going down hill – losing its vibrant color, increasing in its disease susceptibility, and being more and more prone to bolting. He set out to restore it, and then to take it one step further and improve on it. Rhubarb Supreme has been bred for horizontal resistance to Cercospora leaf spot and Downy Mildew. It has deeper, darker, and more consistent red color than the standard red varieties with no white or pink striping. It is also more resistant to bolting. Full maturity in about 60 days.
Lettuce, Hyper Red Rumple Waved (Released):
 This variety was bred by Frank Morton. Frank serves on the Organic Seed Alliance Board of Directors, has been a longtime educator at our field days and conferences, and was one of the founding advisors of OSA. Frank and his wife Karen ran a salad mix business for years, and then started saving some seed to replant for the next year. Well, one thing led to another and soon they were true farmer-plant breeders, developing exotic new varieties of lettuce, kale, mustards, chard, and all sorts of wonderful greens. Now, along with their sons Taj and Kit, they run Wild Garden Seed. We sometimes call Frank the “poster boy” of Farmer-led Participatory Plant Breeding. He started off on his own, making selections and crosses and doing pretty well, and then began to work with OSA's breeder Dr. John Navazio, and Frank began to learn about progeny crosses and polygenic resistance, and boom – Frank is now recognized nationally as a leader in organic breeding, all without a PhD or a gene gun for injecting transgenic DNA into nuclei. Imagine that. He is an inspiring educator, an excellent plant breeder, and a great farmer. We'll call him a workhorse too.
Frank describes Hyper Red Rumple Waved as such: “Gorgeous rumpled and savoyed leaves of an intense purple-red with puckered hearts. High scores for resistance to disease. 50 days to maturity.” You can find more of his varieties at www.wildgardenseed.com
|
