Unwashed or washed seeds???

[alp]

I remember watching a film with Dennis Quaid as the lead actor. He was caught selling washed seeds and was to be in great trouble. What did that mean? Washed or unwashed seeds? Apparently, he needed to buy them annually. Is this still practised in the States. Please don't laugh if I sound stupid. I am clueless. How do you sell seeds to farmers in the States please?

 

[marlingardener]

Alp, we can buy seeds two ways (there may be more, but I don't know about them). First, we can get bags of seeds to plant fields. The seeds come from the provider in reinforced bags which are emptied into seed hoppers attached to a tractor, and off you go. They are certified by the seller as disease free. Most likely the seeds are washed to remove any traces of soil that might cause problems.
The second way is bulk seeds, which is the way we buy ours. We go to the feed store, ask for 5 lbs. of seed potatoes, or 8 oz. of turnip seed, or 1 lb. of corn seed (this is field corn, not sweet corn). The seed is weighed or measured out and put in a brown paper bag. The feed store has a sign from the seed provider that says "non-gmo, disease free seed", I've never seen a bit of soil on the seeds, but the potatoes do have a bit of soil left on them. (Remember, we are a very small farm and buy small amounts of seed. I've seen large semis ((lorries)) going to neighboring farms, loaded with seed.)
Most farmers buy seed annually. Keeping back enough for planting next year, much less storing it properly during the off season, is too labor intensive, expensive, and "iffy" to justify the small savings of "my seed vs. your seed".
Now that I've thoroughly confused everyone, perhaps a member with more knowledge will weigh in!

 

[alp]

Thank you for the explanation. Is it illegal to claim seeds are washed when they have not been? Dennis Quaid was visited by 3 officers and given a serious warning. Ouch!

 

[marlingardener]

I don't know the legality of representing seeds as washed when they aren't, but I do know the unwashed seeds I save from certain plants look a lot different than the seeds that come in packets.

 

[alp]

I wonder if he's talking about GM seeds.

 

[Daren]

Here is some info If you Want to Clean your Seed. But It looks like a lot of messing about to me ....................


HOW TO STERILISE SEEDS FOR STERILE PLANT CULTURE

By Dr.D.J.Jones *

DEFINITION: How to kill the bugs on seeds!
WHY STERILISE SEEDS? All seeds have bacteria and fungi on their outer coat. Some of these microorganisms may be pathogenic and overwhelm the seedling, or they may interfere with experiments such as investigations of root exudates. The following method will kill the microorganisms on the seed surface, but will not destroy parasites within the seed tissues.
PROCEEDURE:
1). If the seeds have husks or adhering bracts polish them and blow away the dust.
2). Prepare a 4% solution of sodium hypochlorite
3). Add about 40ml. to a sterile (autoclaved) 100ml. beaker
4). Place up to 20g. of seeds in the solution along with a magnetic stirring bar
5). Place a sterile cover (e.g. the top of a plastic petri-dish previously dipped in the solution) over the beaker and put on the magnetic stirrer for 30 minutes
6). Drain out the hypochlorite and replace with sterile (e.g. autoclaved) distilled water
7). Wash the seeds 5 times with sterile distilled water
8). The above procedure is best carried out in a sterile hood to avoid re-contamination
9). Place the seeds either on agar or other sterile medium to germinate.
10). If this doesn’t work the following additional steps should be used: I) Presoaking for 5 minutes in 100% ethanol, or 2) adding a drop of surfactant such as ‘Tween 80’ to the hypochlorite, or both.
11). These methods work for most seeds (e.g. maize, wheat, bean, Arabidopsis, tobacco). For small seeds such as tobacco and Arabidopsis this method should be scaled down to an Eppendorf volume (1ml.).
* D.J.Jones, School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, LL57 2UW

 

[DirtMechanic]

Alp, we can buy seeds two ways (there may be more, but I don't know about them). First, we can get bags of seeds to plant fields. The seeds come from the provider in reinforced bags which are emptied into seed hoppers attached to a tractor, and off you go. They are certified by the seller as disease free. Most likely the seeds are washed to remove any traces of soil that might cause problems.
The second way is bulk seeds, which is the way we buy ours. We go to the feed store, ask for 5 lbs. of seed potatoes, or 8 oz. of turnip seed, or 1 lb. of corn seed (this is field corn, not sweet corn). The seed is weighed or measured out and put in a brown paper bag. The feed store has a sign from the seed provider that says "non-gmo, disease free seed", I've never seen a bit of soil on the seeds, but the potatoes do have a bit of soil left on them. (Remember, we are a very small farm and buy small amounts of seed. I've seen large semis ((lorries)) going to neighboring farms, loaded with seed.)
Most farmers buy seed annually. Keeping back enough for planting next year, much less storing it properly during the off season, is too labor intensive, expensive, and "iffy" to justify the small savings of "my seed vs. your seed".
Now that I've thoroughly confused everyone, perhaps a member with more knowledge will weigh in!

I am - as always - completely entertained by the American interpretations of English for the English. Additionally it is illuminating, since I do not buy such quantity myself, to read your descriptions of the modern distribution of seed. Thank You!

 

[alp]

Thank you, @Daren , for the effort. I have the feeling that it has something to do with farming on an industrial scale in the States and that there is punishment in place if you don't buy or sell them in certain forms. I think it might have to do with monopoly or some form of controlled distribution, i.e. it's a cartel or racket.

 

[DirtMechanic]

@alp, would it be called a Pumpkin Seed Posse? A Melon Mob? Eggplant Enforcers? Wheat Whips? The department of vegetable violations?

I googled "vegetable cartel" and got a shock from the quantity of stories about organized crime running vegetable supplies. I also read an article where hand santizer and trimmed fingernails were part of the greenhouse formula for providing unblemished vegetables to market.

 

[alp]

 

[Silentrunning]

Alp, the name of the movie was "At any price".

 

[alp]

I don't think I will watch it again, @Silentrunning ! Not a nice film. It's just stuck in my mind that Quaid got a told off and he's quaking in his boots!