Save Seeds for Ecological Resilience

Have you ever saved seeds or been gifted seeds from your friend’s garden? Did you know when you save seeds you are contributing to ecological resiliency?

In this article: 

• Ecological Resilience 

• Plant + Seed Patents 

• Seed Saving + Sovereignty 

• Cultivars 

• Five Easy Actions to Strengthen Ecological Resilience  

Ecological Resilience

Have you ever saved seeds or been gifted seeds from your friend’s garden? Did you know when you save seeds you are contributing to ecological resiliency? Ecological resilience is the ability for a natural system to maintain itself in times of stress. An ecosystem rich in plant diversity will support an array of pollinators and have more of an ability to limit pests and diseases than a monoculture.   

More and more, people are utilizing their yards as natural spaces to improve ecological resiliency. Growing your own food and sharing it with your neighbors localizes our food system and helps us to be less reliant on industrial agriculture, just as native habitat provides life for pollinators and other wildlife in a resilient ecosystem.  

Plant + Seed Patents

Patents have been placed on genetically identical cuttings and divisions since the 1930s, and in the 1970s patents started being placed on seeds.  That means if a seed has a patent, you are legally not allowed to save seed from it as it is owned by a corporation.  

In industrial agriculture, many of these patents have led to reductionist views of breeding. Plants are bred for storage and global transportation, not nutrition and taste. In the greenhouse industry, patented plants are produced through making cuttings of a plant with the same genetic material, reducing biodiversity. Genetically modified and patented seeds are engineered to be chemically resistant to herbicides, increasing reliance on chemical inputs that the same corporation often sells to create reliance on expensive products to be successful. 

For these reasons and more, corporate ownership of patents has decreased biodiversity, in our food supply and in other horticultural industries. Vandana Shiva, environmental activist, speaks to how the “primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralizing and monopolizing power and control. Not until diversity is made the logic of production will there be a chance for sustainability, justice and peace.” We can save and share seeds to increase biodiversity in our own yards and local communities. 

Seed Saving + Sovereignty 

It is important to distinguish between different types of propagation to understand how to increase biodiversity. Propagation techniques can be classified into two areas: asexual or vegetative reproduction and sexual reproduction.  

Asexual or vegetative reproduction involves taking a cutting of a plant, dividing the plant, or otherwise propagating a plant in a form that maintains the exact same genetics as the host post. While there are benefits of uniformity and maintaining ideal characteristics of a particular plant, there is no genetic diversity. If one plant has a genetic predisposition to a disease and you take cuttings of the plant, the likelihood of complete crop failure is increased by limiting biodiversity. Some plants are asexually propagated because of a unique flower type. Many times, this does not impact pollinators, but many ornamental varieties have reduced pollen and nectar access for pollinators due to commercial attempts to make larger or showier flowers (ex. multi-petalled roses). 

Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, is genetically diverse. Sexual reproduction in plants through cross pollination produces seeds which carry genetic material from more than one plant. Why is this important? Saving seed contributes to the regional adaptation of plants so they can adjust to local conditions and changes in the environment. It is one of the reasons we suggest buying seeds from local seed companies who produce their own seed. Seed saving also contributes to plant resilience to diseases, pests, and other factors that lead to plant decline. Pollinators and other wildlife benefit from having genetically diverse food to eat with a variety of nutrients. 

When looking for seeds you may see terms such as ‘hybrid’ or ‘heirloom’ seeds. Hybrid, or F1 seeds are created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant through selective cross pollination. These seeds cannot be saved reliably after the growing season because the resulting seeds have unpredictable results and will most likely not be true to type. For example, seedless grapes, pineberry, and broccoflower are all edible plants that are hybrids. An heirloom seed, on the other hand, has been saved and passed down from generation to generation, many times for over 100 years. Saved seeds will be true to type and are grown for flavor, productivity, hardiness and regional adaptability. 

Cultivars 

Cultivars are very important to understand in the world of plant patents and commercial reproduction but can be quite confusing for people to understand. Cultivar stands for cultivated variety, which are varieties of plants considered unique and patentable and saved through asexual/vegetative reproduction. When you see a cultivar, it means every specimen of that cultivar has the same genetic material and has been patented, usually by a commercial nursery. 

How can you tell if a plant is a cultivar? It is easier than one might think! When you see the name of the plant listed on a plant tag, it will have the genus listed, usually italicized as in, Rosa. The specific epithet, which designates the species may be listed afterward, as in Rosa nutkana, our native Nootka Rose. With a cultivar, many times the specific epithet is not included. Instead, the cultivar name is listed, never italicized, capitalized, and between single quotes. Cultivars are classified as Genus (epithet) ‘Cultivar Name.’  

Cultivars are different than varieties, which are naturally occurring, definable differences among species. An example of varieties are Spiraea betulifolia var. lucinda, which is native to the west coast, and Spiraea betulifolia var. corymbosa, which is native to the east coast. Different regions lead to slightly varying traits, but not enough difference to denote a different species. 

Not all plants that are asexually or vegetatively reproduced will be a cultivar. Many plants are produced vegetatively in greenhouse production, but instead of only one host plant with identical genetic material being propagated, cuttings will be taken from a variety of plants of the same species. So, while asexual propagation is less genetically diverse than propagation by seed, they are still usually much more genetically diverse than cultivars. Because it is so common and commercially efficient, it is mostly safe to assume that woody shrubs and trees have been produced asexually. However, there are some growers that are passionate about genetic diversity and mostly or strictly grow from seed. We support these efforts and understand why the work they do is so important.  

There is great debate in the native plant world if native cultivars, or nativars, are actually native plants. Because the genetic material only comes from one particular native plant, there is debate if they fill the biological role people are looking for when they plant natives for habitat and biodiversity. That being said, some native cultivars can be highly ornamental and still provide great habitat. Whatever you decide, we want you to have the knowledge behind you to support your decision. 

Five Easy Actions to Strengthen Ecological Resilience 

- You guessed it! Save seeds! (and then plant them or give them away!) 

- Grow native plants for pollinators 

- Grow genetically diverse, regionally adapted, heirloom seeds 

- Take cuttings from many different plant samples, not just one 

- Attend a seed swap and share seeds with your local community 

About: 

Noble Root empowers homeowners to confidently grow food, flowers, and herbs with personalized support. We offer garden coaching, landscape design, DIY plans, and full-service garden installations in Portland-metro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington areas.