Seeds with Dark Spots

Salsacharley · September 5, 2014

Some seeds in NAR and Chapman I was saving had dark spots in the center of the seed. Can anyone say definitively that those seeds with spots are viable or not?

Thanks,

Charley

ddsack · September 5, 2014

In two different years, I specifically saved out and dried dark seeds and partly colored (I called them pinto seeds) and tested them later for viability. For me, they had roughly a 20 - 30% success rate as freshly dried seeds. So I wouldn't use them for trading, but if your seed count is low, keep them as back up for yourself.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=3057

similar discussion:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12375

The second time, a few years later, I repeated with some dwarf project selection seeds, and actually kept a few of the resulting seedlings from the test. The plants from the dark seeds were normal in every way with good production the next summer, but I never checked to see if they themselves had an abnormal amount of dark seeds.

Ted -- did you ever pursue this?

Salsacharley · September 5, 2014

Dee,

Thank you. This is exactly the info I was looking for. I will subjugate the dark seeds to backup status.

Charley

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddsack

In two different years, I specifically saved out and dried dark seeds and partly colored (I called them pinto seeds) and tested them later for viability. For me, they had roughly a 20 - 30% success rate as freshly dried seeds. So I wouldn't use them for trading, but if your seed count is low, keep them as back up for yourself.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=3057

similar discussion:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12375

The second time, a few years later, I repeated with some dwarf project selection seeds, and actually kept a few of the resulting seedlings from the test. The plants from the dark seeds were normal in every way with good production the next summer, but I never checked to see if they themselves had an abnormal amount of dark seeds.

Ted -- did you ever pursue this?

Father'sDaughter · September 6, 2014

Thank you both! I often end up with a few seeds in each fermentation that have a dark brown-to-black spot and as I'm plucking them off my drying plate to discard them, it crosses my mind to ask about them on here. But then I forget. I tend to not save or sow seeds that don't look right to me, but that's not based on any hard facts as to whether they are viable or not.

September 5, 2014	#1
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	Seeds with Dark Spots Some seeds in NAR and Chapman I was saving had dark spots in the center of the seed. Can anyone say definitively that those seeds with spots are viable or not? Thanks, Charley

September 5, 2014	#2
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	In two different years, I specifically saved out and dried dark seeds and partly colored (I called them pinto seeds) and tested them later for viability. For me, they had roughly a 20 - 30% success rate as freshly dried seeds. So I wouldn't use them for trading, but if your seed count is low, keep them as back up for yourself. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=3057 similar discussion: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12375 The second time, a few years later, I repeated with some dwarf project selection seeds, and actually kept a few of the resulting seedlings from the test. The plants from the dark seeds were normal in every way with good production the next summer, but I never checked to see if they themselves had an abnormal amount of dark seeds. Ted -- did you ever pursue this? __________________ Dee **************

September 6, 2014	#4
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Thank you both! I often end up with a few seeds in each fermentation that have a dark brown-to-black spot and as I'm plucking them off my drying plate to discard them, it crosses my mind to ask about them on here. But then I forget. I tend to not save or sow seeds that don't look right to me, but that's not based on any hard facts as to whether they are viable or not.