Month: June 2023

A seed is a mature ovule that contains an embryo or miniature undeveloped plant and food reserves, enclosed within a protective skin. Seeds are the primary means by which flowering plants and some grasses disperse their offspring.

Seeds are an important source of food for humans and animals, and they are used in plant breeding. To test seed dispersal, try dropping seeds in front of a fan and watching how far they travel.

Seeds are the reproductive organs of plants

Seeds are the reproductive organs of plants and carry the food that helps the new plant begin to grow. They are a key step in plant evolution. They are also the source of many foods for humans and animals.

Embryos inside seeds are fertilized by sperm cells transferred from pollen grains. The fertilized embryo is surrounded by a reserve of stored food (endosperm) and protected by a hard covering called a seed coat. Seeds are the characteristic reproductive body of angiosperms and gymnosperms, except for ferns, liverworts, and mosses, which do not produce them.

Seeds vary in size, dispersal method, germination requirements, photo response and other factors. They may be ellipsoid, globose, subglobose, reniform or sectoroid in shape and may have a number of appendages. These include wings, a scar on the seed surface that is called the hilum, and ridges and spines such as those found in yew seeds. Seeds also have a variety of textures and colours.

They are an important source of food

Seeds are an important food source, especially for animals and humans. They contain the embryo surrounded by a reserve of food (endosperm or cotyledons). They are also a major source of energy.

Seed plants now dominate biological niches in terrestrial ecosystems. They provide foods, fuels, fibers, and medicines. They also help to stabilize the environment and reduce erosion. They are also a key component of a sustainable agricultural system.

Many seeds contain natural toxins, which help them survive in harsh environments. For example, cinchona seeds contain alkaloids that can treat malaria. They are also the source of many medicinal treatments, including castor oil and laetrile. Seeds are also used as weights for balances and as beads in necklaces and rosaries. Some seeds have fleshy appendages to entice animal dispersers; others have hooks, barbs, or sticky hairs that attach to fur or feathers; and still others have wings for wind dispersal. They are also the source of nonfood oils, such as linseed and cotton seed oil.

They are an important part of plant breeding

Seeds are an important part of plant breeding because they can be used to produce new plants that will provide the food and other natural resources people need. They also play an important role in natural ecosystems by dispersing plants to new areas. The seeds of a plant can be eaten by animals, which then carry the seed to another area and reproduce again.

A seed is a miniature undeveloped plant with a food reserve protected by a shell (tegument) and an embryo that develops into the new plant when conditions are favorable. The embryo is surrounded by cells that form an outer layer called the testa. Seeds come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but all are surrounded by an outer shell or hull.

Many farmers struggle with the high cost of basic seed and pre-basic seed, which are required to grow quality crops. These costs are often exacerbated by climate change and environmental pressures that are influencing global agriculture. To address these challenges, a demand-centered approach to seed systems development is needed.

They are a source of medicine

Seeds are a crucial source of medicine and have been used since ancient times. They are the foundation of many diets and provide essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, such as iron and magnesium. They also provide wood for furniture and fuel, paper, textile fibers, and dyes. They also serve as ornamental species, beautifying gardens and public spaces, and inspiring painters and poets.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of herbal medicine that relies on seeds for its medicinal properties. However, the similarity of the seeds of many medicinal plants makes it difficult to identify them by organoleptic methods. This study uses DNA barcoding to identify seed TCMs, and 177 ITS2 sequences and 15 psbA-trnH sequences were acquired from 51 kinds of seed medicinal plants prescribed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The sequences were analyzed using maximum-likelihood tree building and showed that multi-origin seed TCMs could be distinguished from each other.

The ripe seeds of the plant Tirgonella foenumgraecum Linn., commonly known as fenugreek, are used as a medicinal herb to treat general debility and chronic rheumatism. Powdered ripe seeds are also administered to treat cholera and dyspepsia.

Before feminized seeds emerged regular seeds were the only option for growers. They give rise to roughly 50% male and 50% female offspring.

This means that a few of your plants will be male and will reduce the yield of your crop. Luckily, there are several ways to overcome this.

Stable Genetics

Regular seeds enable growers to take cuttings/clones (asexual reproduction) from plants that express desirable phenotypes such as colour, terpene profiles and growth patterns. While this requires extra work on the part of the grower (weeding out male plants), it is often worth it in terms of quality of harvest and genetic preservation.

Stabilising a strain through plant breeding is a lengthy process that requires patience, capital and time to grow several generations of plants to ensure their genetic stability. Once stable, breeders can then create seed varieties that are uniform in growth, flowering and psychoactive properties. They can also use backcrossing to further stabilise a particular trait by crossing a hybrid of an existing parent with its stable clone and then repeating this process. Examples of this include Apollo 13Bx (TGA Subcool) and Tropimango (Philosopher Seeds). Stabilised strains can then be patented by seed companies and licensed to other growers. This is known as agritech.

No Genetic Modification

If you’re looking for a completely organic growing experience, regular seeds are the way to go. Unlike feminized or autoflowering cannabis seeds, regular seeds have not been genetically modified in any way. They also don’t require a change in the light cycle to shift from vegetation to flowering, like some strains of ruderalis that are used to create feminized seeds.

While feminized cannabis seeds have become increasingly popular, there are still plenty of growers who prefer working with regular seeds. They’re more natural and offer a wider range of possibilities for breeding and discovery.

Typically, a batch of regular seeds will produce a mix of male and female plants. This is what has always happened when cultivating weed with seeds, and is the way that most cannabis has been cultivated for centuries. With a mix of male and female plants, growers can select the strongest, most productive flowers for further breeding. They can also try out blending opposing terpene profiles to create unique cultivars.

Unaltered Plants

While feminized seeds are the preferred option of many growers, regular cannabis seeds still have a significant part of the market. They are the perfect choice for professional breeders who work with a large number of plants to create new strains. As regular seeds produce both male and female plants, they can be used to pollinate hermaphrodite plants to create a wide range of hybrids.

This type of breeding requires a great deal of patience and care. However, it offers the potential to create a completely unique and potent cultivar.

If you choose to use regular seeds, you will need to ensure that all of your plants are female before they flower. This will require a great deal of monitoring and removal of any male plants that develop. This is impractical for a large crop as it will mean wasting some of your growing space, nutrients and light. It is also less efficient than using a feminized seed, as you will have to wait until the plant is fully mature before starting the sexing process.

Lower Price

Some growers choose to work with regular seeds from a financial perspective. If you are a breeder who works with male plants, and collecting their pollen, in order to make cross seeds, the process will be cheaper and more reliable using regular seeds.

Regular seed strains are also preferred by some traditional gardeners who dislike the idea of their crop being feminised. In fact, many old school cultivars that existed prior to the feminisation of cannabis seeds still exist as regular seeds and are very popular with experienced gardeners.

Growing a large number of regular seeds and working through them to find the best mother plant for your next crop is an enjoyable challenge for some. This is often cheaper than a similar sized purchase of feminised seeds and the expense associated with removing 40% of your crop after sexing it. This equates to wasted hydro system space, nutrients and light. It is a cost that can add up when doing a large pheno hunt.

Regular seed is a favourite of growers who enjoy crossing their plants to create unique new strains. However, identifying and removing male plants can be a difficult task for some gardeners.

Feminized seeds eliminate the issue of male plants by guaranteeing a 100% female crop. But, why do we still stock regular seeds?

It’s cheaper

Choosing the right seed type depends on cultivation experience, primary goal for harvest, and space restrictions. Many growers will choose feminized seeds to avoid wasted time and space sexing male plants, while others prefer the genetic purity and stability that regular seeds provide.

The main advantage of choosing regular seeds is that they are cheaper than feminized or autoflower seeds. This is because the odds of a pack turning out male plants are much higher with feminized seeds, and growers spend significantly more time and money weeding out the males.

If you want to save on your cannabis seeds, check out Herbies Seeds, a leading provider of high-quality regular and feminized marijuana seeds. Their selection of over 120 breeders is impressive and their prices are competitive. You can even save more by buying in bulk, which allows you to take advantage of discounts and sales. The website offers a wide range of options from both domestic and foreign breeders, including rare strains like the Hulk.

It’s easier to breed

While feminised seeds have become increasingly popular in recent years, many growers still prefer regular cannabis seed. They are more versatile and can be used to create unique strains. You can experiment with different phenotypes and find ones that produce your favourite terpenes, high, and flowers. It’s also much easier to breed your own cultivars using regular seed than feminized seeds, which are only suitable for a single harvest.

While it’s hard to predict the exact percentage of female plants from a batch of regular seeds, the theorical ratio should be about 50%. That means that a typical batch of 10 regular seeds will yield around 4-6 female plants.

However, growing regular seeds can be a challenge for newcomers. It’s important to choose a strain that suits your growing experience, climate, flowering time and desired yield. A good choice is a classic strain with a known history and high-yield potential. Dutch Passion’s collection of regular seeds includes legendary classics such as White Widow and Orange Bud.

It’s more stable

Regular cannabis seeds allow you to create clones that will have the same traits as the parent plant. This is important if you want to perfect your favourite strain or develop a new one. Clones are extremely stable and can be grown in a variety of environments. Clones are also a good choice for growers who are looking to try different flavour profiles and colours.

When you work with regular seed, you have a 50% chance of getting male and female plants. This is how nature intended it to be. While most growers want feminized marijuana seeds, some breeders and experienced growers prefer working with regular seeds for specific purposes.

When you work with regular seeds, you can discover new phenotypes that may not be possible with feminized seeds. You can find unique flavour profiles, colours, and potency that you wouldn’t have found with a feminized strain. Regular seeds are also more vigorous than their feminized counterparts and can withstand stresses better.

It’s easier to germinate

One of the best reasons to grow regular seed is that old-school cultivars that existed before feminization became popular did not make it into the feminized market and have only been preserved in their original regular form. Growing these rare strains gives you the opportunity to experiment with back crossing and create your own unique strain from scratch.

Another reason to choose regular seed is its stability. Unlike feminized seeds, regular seeds produce male plants on average 50% of the time. That means you will need to do a lot of work to select and remove the male plants from your cultivation space, and this can be costly in terms of substrate and products. For this reason, feminized seeds are more popular for those that want to save money and time. However, for breeders, regular seed is still the way to go. The genetics are more stable and consistent, and it’s easier to clone and create your own unique strain.