Organic seed companies such as ReinSaat® KG specialize in the production and marketing of seed-resistant vegetable, herb and flower seed varieties. These come exclusively from controlled organic, biodynamic and organic cultivation (Demeter and Bio-Austria) without genetic engineering and hybrid breeding.
What is seed-solid seed?
The advantage of seed-resistant seed over conventional seed is that the seeds of the ripened fruit can be harvested and young plants can be grown from them. This means that seed-resistant varieties deliver the best harvest and quality for years.
Hybrid varieties (declared with F1 as an addition to variety names), which are permitted in conventional agriculture, but also in organic production according to the EU Organic Farming Regulation, produce the desired results when grown once for a single season. Hybrid seed is at the end of a multi-stage propagation cycle using biotechnological methods. Forced self-fertilization is used to breed parent lines that are characterized by a single outstanding trait. By crossing these, hybrids are created that inherit characteristics such as uniformity, fruit color and (pest) resistance from these parent lines. However, the next generation, the plantlets from the seeds of the hybrid plants, lose these optimized characteristics.
Regional diversity
The focus of our work is always on developing regionally adapted, seed-resistant (open-pollinated) crops and making them available for commercial cultivation as well as for home gardeners.
The main breeding method is selection. This involves selecting plants from a crop of fruiting vegetables according to the desired variety and further propagating their seeds if they meet the high requirements for vigor and robustness, variety and quality of the plants and, as a result, the marketability of the fruit. High demands are placed on the shape, color, taste, aroma, vitality and nutritional quality of the different varieties. Equal weighting is given to yield security, marketable quality, processing quality, transportability and storability in seed breeding.
ReinSaat® KG is constantly working with propagation companies throughout Austria and European partners to further develop the diversity of seed-resistant varieties on the main farm and on the propagation farms.
Particular attention is paid to the different adaptability of the crops to the heterogeneous climatic, environmental and local conditions. Every year, traditional and regional vegetable specialties are tested and further developed with regard to this potential in different regions. The result is robust seed that copes well with different weather and water conditions as well as pests and offers yield security.
What are the differences compared to conventional seeds?
ReinSaat® KG produces seed-resistant varieties and draws on the genetic material of our ancestors' vegetable varieties. This means that the mother plant passes on its variety-specific characteristics to the next generation in a natural hereditary flow. Plants with very specific, desired characteristics are developed through continuous reproduction. However, a reservoir of trait information remains stored in all plants, guaranteeing future natural adaptability.
The ecological development of seed-resistant varieties does not take place in the laboratory. Developments, including accidental crosses, which always occur in the wild, are certainly permitted. Plant diversity and vitality as well as the promotion and utilization of the wide-ranging potential of seed-resistant varieties are just as essential for successful seed breeding as obvious plant and fruit characteristics. To this end, different cultivation rhythms and the influence of external factors within a vegetation period are closely observed and, if necessary, adapted during further trial cultivation in order to ensure the best possible variety quality.
Seed-resistant varieties are the result of years of breeding work. They only come onto the market when they are stable over several generations (years) and the subsequent generations show the same desired characteristics.
The highest demands on seed quality require a great deal of experience and a correspondingly high investment of time and make seed-resistant organic seed production so special. There are no shortcuts, developments are permitted. Plants are allowed to go through their natural life cycle, thrive and mature, as are their offspring.
Diversity instead of uniformity
The diversity and outstanding quality of the seed varieties are the result of many years of responsible conservation breeding. To this end, all organic seed producers in Austria are in professional exchange with similarly structured seed companies and organizations, also at an international level.
Flavorful vegetable diversity is no longer a hobby! Producing for the market in a way that conserves resources is the sensible thing to do. The incomparable variety of vegetables and the increase in nutritionally and environmentally conscious consumers confirm the comparatively higher use of labor and resources in production.
This is the only way to ensure that valuable seed potential is not lost. Robust plants will continue to provide a healthy, tasty variety of vegetables for market and home gardeners in the future and guarantee the independence of the individual.
About the author
ReinSaat® KG has been striving since 1998 to offer a comprehensive range of varieties for commercial horticulture and home gardens that are adapted to the needs of organic farming.
