project - Innovative project
Amplifying seeds viability.
Amplifying seeds viability.
Objectives
Problems addressed: how to improve crop productivity in general, and plant resistance to drought in particular.
Objective: improve agricultural production above all during the period of low viability on the 18.6 years of the seeds viability cycle.
Activities
The seeds maintain viability over time just by varying it, in a sort of an alternating cycle, now by decreasing it, then by recovering it. They decrease it during a so called cumulative period; they recover it during the following dissipative period. The calendar of the periods is freely available in the site. The more they diminish viability, the more they recover it.
So, before sowing seeds during a dissipative period, one has to, paradoxically, diminish the viability by keeping seeds at a relatively high temperature, during the preceding cumulative period. The test is easy and inexpensive.
Additional information
As a matter of fact, the project started in 1978. There were many years of suspension. Now it is far from completion.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Private funds
- Agricultural sectors
- Crops (generic)
1 Practice Abstracts
Test and results.
Test: One has to keep two batches of seeds of the same kind and quality, at two quite different levels of temperature, during a cumulative period, if possible of at least seven days long, and to sow them, at the same conditions, just at the beginning of the following dissipative period.
Results: the seeds of the test kept at a higher level of temperature (usually not higher than 35 °C), during a cumulative period, will give rise to the best plants. Paradoxically, because the temperature does diminish for the time being the viability. In fact, that prepares the seeds to recover it fully, during the following dissipative period.
Contacts
Pietro Baruffaldi
via Palugana lunga 22
It-35045 Ospedaletto Euganeo (Padova)
Project coordinator
-
Project coordinator