Distance Learning Seed Propogation Course
"Study the propagation of seeds".
"This is the first correspondence course I have done and I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU. I appreciate everyone's effort in such a professionally-run organisation with seamless administration. The office staff's happy can-do attitude, their fast responses to all queries, tutor Shane Gould's quick turnaround in assignment marking and his supportive and motivational feedback and last but not least, the sound subject guides. Most importantly I hope my thanks and appreciation can be communicated to all the staff who have supported me long the way of my learning! I work full time and study on the weekend but really don't stop thinking about what gardening solution I need in order to answer my assignments every day of the week. Thank you for such a great learning experience and I cant wait to start the second half of my course!!"
- Skye
Scope of the Course
This course is relevant to all aspects of seed propagation, all typesof seeds, and any climatic situation you might find yourself in.
Seeds can be propagated in many different ways, including:
- Sowing directly into the open ground.
- Sowing into natural soil, improved soil in a controlled environment (eg. in a greenhouse, with heating cables in the ground or in raised beds, and with irrigation).
- Sowing into specialised propagating media in a controlled propagating environment.
Many seedling production nurseries (both private and commercial) specialise in the production of specific types of plants for example:
- vegetable seedlings
- colourful annuals
- forestry trees
- natives trees for revegetation projects
- seedling trees for use as root stock
- ferns
- perennials
- biennials
- cut flowers
- herbs
Course Structure
There are nine lessons in this module as follows:
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Introduction - scope, open ground propagation, controlled environment propagation
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Seed Botany - anatomy and physiology, pollination, hybridisation, genetic purity, etc.
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Seed Sources - selection, collection, timing, wild collecting
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Seed Storage – treatments; cleaning, drying, storage, disease control, germination testing
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Dormancy - and breaking dormancy
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Germinating Annuals, Perennials and Vegetables
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Propagating selected Woody Species
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Direct Seeding - grasses, woody species, revegetation projects, etc.
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Seedling Management
Duration: 100 hours
Aims
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Discuss the scope and nature of commercial seed propagation.
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Explain the botany of seeds, and processes that occur when a seed germinates.
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Determine appropriate procedures for harvesting different seeds.
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Determine appropriate treatments for different types of seeds following harvest to sustain viability.
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Determine treatments for breaking dormancy to initiate germination with a range of different seeds.
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Determine how to sow and germinate seed of commonly grown herbaceous plants including vegetables, annuals and perennials.
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Determine techniques for woody plants including trees, shrubs, ground covers and climbers.
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Determine strategies for developing a variety of different types of plantings using direct seeding.
- Manage the development of germinated seedlings tooptimise the plants survival.
Extract from Course Notes
Seeds are alive and like any living thing they can be harmed by adverse conditions. Seeds of some species do not store for very long at all - propagation should be done with fresh seed only. This group particularly includes spring-ripening seeds of certain temperate zone plants. Most seeds however will store for at least 6 months without loss of viability, provided the environmental conditions of their storage are right.
Seed Storage Behaviour
Seed storage behaviour refers to the capacity of seeds to survive desiccation (drying). The periods which seed survives (ie. its longevity) varies quite a lot among species. It also tends to vary among accessions (collections) within a species, because of differences in genotype and provenance. The influence that provenance and genotype have on the longevity of seed also depends on the following:
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the cumulative effect of environment during seed maturation eg. the weather
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harvesting, drying and the pre-storage environment
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seed harvest times
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time it takes to dry the seed
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the time taken between drying and storage
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Accession
Accession is the process of increasing a seed collection or group. It involves collecting seeds from various groups and/or locations of groups, combining them into a single seed lot with the view to storage or planting. This enables the collector or person that later plants the seed to readily determine provenance. Seed can be selected for disease resistance and certain morphological characteristics, (however this could alter in future generations if seed from differing geographical areas are combined; it does however extend the gene-pool). Seed accessions that are collected officially will be allocated a unique number and a Certificate of Provenance.
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Species of seeds do not all respond to the environment before or during storage in the same way. Today scientists recognise three main categories of seed storage behaviour:
· Orthodox species - seeds in this category can be conserved off-site (ie. outside of their natural environment) for long periods, in appropriate conditions. Collections (accessions) of seeds may vary considerably in their longevity however, irrelevant of the environment in which they are kept. These seeds can be dried to low moisture contents without damage – even lower then they would dry out in nature. The longevity of these seeds increases as the storage environment aids reductions in moisture content and temperature. These are also the easiest seeds to keep long-term. The vast majority of seeds are orthodox species.
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Recalcitrant species – storage of species with recalcitrant storage behaviour are only viable for the short-term also only in appropriate, well controlled environments. These species do not survive drying to any large degree or freezing – long term storage is not suitable.
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Moisture levels critical for survival however does vary between species within this group. Seed of recalcitrant species is sometimes processed by cutting out the growing part of the seed, optimising the water content and then rapidly cooling it. Plants from the tropics, riparian zone and temperate zone forests are included for example; oaks, citrus and wild rice.
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Intermediate species – storage of species which present with intermediate storage behaviour is feasible for the medium-term but only in appropriate, well controlled environments. These seeds tolerate drying better then the recalcitrant species but not as much as the orthodox species. They can withstand partial dehydration but they are cold-sensitive and drying does not increase longevity; they tend to lose viability much more rapidly at low temperatures. They vary from orthodox seeds in the predictability of their longevity in relation to drying and cooling. Intermediate seeds include tropical plants such as such as the oil palm (Elaeis guinensis) and coffee (Coffea arabica), and the Neem tree.
It is essential to know which groups species belong to, in order to determine the most suitable storage facilities, environment and storage length.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
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Sample Course Notes
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How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
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I don’t think this is the right course for me.
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If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
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Home Study Seed Propagation Course
"Study the propagation of seeds".
Improve your understanding of plant propagation.
Gain industry specific qualifications.
Improve your job prospects.
Learn from the best! Our tutors are highly qualified industry experts.
Please note this course requires a general foundation knowledge of plant propagation. If you have industry experience, or significant amateur experience, this course may contain some sections that are revision. However, for anyone with minimal or no knowledge of seed propagation, some additional reading may be required to gain the optimum benefit from the course.
