Month: March 2023

A seed is an embryo of a new plant enclosed within a protective outer covering. It consists of an ovule and its endosperm, which is a food reserve that contains nutrients such as starch, oil, and protein.

A thick seed coat protects the embryo from sunlight and water loss. It also prevents entry of parasites into the seed.

Origin

Seeds are a key innovation in the evolution of plants. They have many advantages over spores, like having a food source to feed the new plant and having a protective coat that keeps the seed in place.

Despite their important role in evolution, there is a lot we don’t know about how seeds came to be. This article aims to fill in some of those gaps and explore the origins of seed plants.

The first seed plants emerged around 370 million years ago, during the late Devonian period. During this time, three major trends were crucial to the development of seed plants: heterospory (the production of specialized haploid female-like megaspores and male-like microspores), evolution of the integuments, and the transition to water-independence in pollen formation.

Function

A seed is a tiny plant, containing the embryo of the parent plant. It also contains a food supply for the seedling, called endosperm.

A high quality seed is free of stones, debris, and dust and should be uniform in size, weight, color, and texture. It should also be a healthy, viable plant that produces good yields in the field.

A seed is the reproductive body of most flowering plants and some gymnosperms, including conifers, cycads, ginkgos, and junipers. Seeds have a wide variety of functions and interact with the environment in complex ways. These include multiplication, perennation (surviving a long period of stress such as winter), dormancy, and dispersal. They are essential for biodiversity and help maintain ecosystem balance, protect water resources, and make medicines.

Dormancy

The duration of seed is an important aspect of its life cycle. The seed must break dormancy in order to germinate.

This can be done through many different factors including water, temperature, sunlight, and nutrients in the soil. Once these ideal conditions occur, the seed breaks dormancy and germinates into a seedling.

Dormancy is important for survival because it helps seeds withstand harsh weather conditions while waiting to become a tree or plant. It also allows plants to thrive in environments that would be unfavorable if all seeds germinated at the same time.

In addition, seeds can adapt to the environment by changing their sensitivity thresholds (the depth of dormancy). These thresholds change over time as a response to temperature and other environmental signals.

Germination

Seed germination is the process by which seeds become new plants. It requires the right internal and external conditions – these include oxygen, water, temperature, light or darkness.

Many plants have specific optimum conditions for germination and these vary from plant to plant. The conditions for germination are also closely related to the ecological conditions in a plant’s natural habitat.

For example, some seeds need to go through a process called dormancy before they can germinate. They may need to spend time under certain environmental conditions, such as cold temperatures or fire.

Dispersal

Seeds are a vital component in the survival of many plant species. Without them, plants could not spread out from their parent plant and avoid competition for resources such as light, water and nutrients.

As a result, plants have developed numerous dispersal mechanisms. These include wind, animal or water-based means of transporting seeds and fruit.

For example, many plants enclose their seeds inside edible fruits that are attractive to animals. These fruit-loving animals, called frugivores, can eat the seeds and then pass them along in their faeces.

Some birds and mammals can serve as primary seed dispersers, while others, such as raptors, are thought to act as secondary dispersers. These interactions are called “diploendozoochory” and may have significant ecological significance. However, research is needed to understand these relationships better and assess their impact on seed viability.

Regular seeds are a great way to experiment with new strains and clones. They also offer the opportunity to save old-school strains.

Cannabis breeding has been around for centuries and it is still happening today. Without regular seeds, this would not be possible!

They are ideal for breeding

Regular seeds are a great choice for growers looking to breed cannabis. They can produce male or female plants, making them perfect for those who want to crossbreed or create new cannabis strains through pollination.

However, if you’re new to breeding, you might want to try feminized seeds first. These have a 99% chance of producing female cannabis plants.

This is an important factor for breeders, as female cannabis plants can produce the dense buds and sticky bud resin that most growers are looking for. In contrast, male plants can produce pollen sacs that can be harmful to the yield of female cannabis plants.

Luckily, there are some ways to avoid this problem. One of the easiest ways is to buy clones from a reliable seed bank. These are exact genetic copies of the mother plant.

They are ideal for cloning

The genetics present in cannabis seeds are a very important part of the growing process. Despite all the efforts from seed suppliers to improve plant consistency, there can be a variance between the different seeds in height, colour, flavour, and potency.

In some cases, this genetic variability can be frustrating for home growers. Cloning is a potential solution to this problem.

With cloning, the exact genetic code present in a mother plant’s DNA is copied into a new cutting (or “clone”). This means that all clones are exactly like their parent plants.

However, clones are not ideal for growing indoors because they have a higher risk of introducing diseases and pests into their environment. For this reason, it’s important to quarantine new clones before they are planted in your garden.

For new seeds and clones, soak them in a cannabis-friendly grow nutrient solution. This can be diluted with water up to a 1:4 ratio depending on your specific needs.

They are ideal for experimenting

Generally, regular seeds are less common than feminized or autoflowering cannabis seeds, but they can be an excellent choice for experimenting. For starters, regular seeds are ideal for sexing plants (determining their sex before they flower).

Aside from that, they can also be used to save old-school strains and breed new genetics. This makes them a good option for growers with limited space who are looking to maintain their seed bank or try out new strains.

The most important thing is to choose healthy and high-quality seeds. A few simple telltale signs can help you determine whether a seed is good or bad.

Firstly, a healthy seed will have a dewdrop-like structure. It will be round at one end and tapered at the other. This consistent shape is a sign of quality. Avoid seeds that are too flat or misshapen, which can cause issues with germination and produce subpar plants.

They are ideal for saving old-school strains

Regular seeds are an excellent option for cultivators who want to save their old-school strains. These seeds can last for years when stored in a dry, cool, and dark place.

One of the best marijuana seed banks for regular seeds, ILGM offers several buy-10-get-10 free deals on popular strains like Super Skunk and White Widow. The company also has a variety of grow guides and a vibrant grower forum that helps you learn more about the different stages of cultivation.

Besides offering premium seeds, ILGM also offers discounts on bulk seed orders. These discounts can be worth it if you’re planning on growing a large number of plants.

Moreover, the cannabis seed bank offers regular deals on popular strains and feminized seeds. They also offer free shipping and multiple payment options. They also have a seed selector to help you narrow down your selection by flowering time, height, THC content, and other characteristics.

Often overlooked by growers, regular seeds are a staple in any cannabis breeder’s seed bank. They provide the essential tools for breeders to create their own strains and genetic crosses.

As a beginner, you may wonder why you should purchase regular seed if the majority of strains on the market are feminized. But it’s important to understand the differences between the two types of seed, so you can make an informed decision and get the most out of your growing experience.

Genetic Stability

Genetic stability is the ability of a strain to consistently express desirable traits in the next generation, allowing the breeder to create new strains with the desired qualities. These traits include flowering pattern, growth rate and psychoactive properties like taste and scent.

Regular seeds come from a parent that is often a variety, meaning that the strain has a specific set of traits (genotype) and how those traits are expressed can be affected by the environment in which the plant was raised. For example, if the parents were kept in poor conditions, this can affect how the plants will breed.

Seeds can be stored for long periods of time, and this process can cause significant deterioration in the quality of the seed. This deterioration can result in structural damage, single and double strand DNA breaks or accumulation of point mutations.

Better Yields

Regular seeds are a breeding line of Cannabis plants that express an equal balance of male and female chromosomes. They are the original type of seed used in the European cannabis seed industry and remain a popular choice for growers and breeders alike.

In terms of yield, these seeds produce heavy crops for their first harvest but can also be used to cultivate and grow subsequent harvests. This makes them a highly versatile option for both novice and experienced growers looking to increase their production potential.

The main advantage of regular seed over feminized seeds is that it’s easier to determine whether your plants are male or female, giving you a better chance of success when pheno hunting for upcoming strains. This also gives you a larger pool of genetic options to experiment with and combine in order to create new hybrids.

Less Expensive

Most cannabis seed breeders specialize in feminized or autoflowering seeds, but there are also some who offer regular seed varieties. These seeds are less expensive than feminized or autoflowering seed varieties, and they’re suitable for growers with a wide range of needs.

They’re also much less likely to carry disease than feminized or autoflowering seeds. They also tend to be more vigorous, which can help them to handle stress better and survive in the long run.

The price of seed varies from company to company, and depends on the type, quality, and strain desired. It can also be influenced by supply and demand in the market.

Some high-quality seed companies have occasional sales that allow buyers to get a great discount on their seeds. Some of these sales focus on specific themes, such as fruity varieties or outdoor cannabis seed strains, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for such offers. You can usually find these on the websites of some of the top seed banks.

More Genetic Variation

Regular seed packs contain both male and female seeds, allowing you to choose from a much greater variety of cannabis genetics. Feminized seeds, on the other hand, only contain 99.9% females.

However, a lot of the genetic variation in regular seed is not related to sex. For example, the genetic architecture of testa traits is complex and can have a strong influence on phenotype.

In addition, there are a number of genetic loci affecting the abundance of many metabolites in the plant, which may interact with each other to regulate the onset or amount of a phenotype (Kover et al. 2009b).

We performed QTL analysis using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from MAGIC lines containing two accessions of A. thaliana. We identified eight QTL distributed across chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 5. For seed size, the largest QTL was located on chromosome 1 and explained 15% of the phenotypic variation. The other three QTL were found on chromosomes 4 and 5 and explained 9 and 8%, respectively.