1 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Healthy Seed – Standards of Seed Supply and Quality Assurance 2 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria What is quality? • Species name • Origin details • Viability/Germination •Purity •Storage life • Genetic diversity • Documentation 3 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Managing quality • Quality control procedures • Processes to ensure ‘quality’ • Quality assessment • Processes to measure ‘quality’ 4 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Flowchart for seed into ATSC Quality control ATSC Specification Quality assessment Seed Supplier .i.e. CSIRO collectors, private collectors and other gov'n organisations from Australia and overseas Botanical Seed type correlated field Specimens Individuals and bulk collection data Reclean Registration Number for Seed each seedlot Fumigate (Carbon Provenance data Dioxide) sheet Germination Test Record Card Germination Seed Storage Retest every Data base 5 years Seed Dispatch 5 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Quality control • Specifications for collections • Species (vouchered) •Location • Collection strategy (no. plants, quantity/plant) • Timing (maturity) • Viability and Purity • Post-collection handling • Documentation 6 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria What’s a provenance? • Geographic origin of particular seed or plants • Population of plants at a location • Sub-set of species diversity and adaptability Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria E. camaldulensis: northern provenances 130° 140° 10° 20° 0500 Kilometres 32 31 30 29 28 27 25 26 16 19 22 15 24 23 21 17 18 14 13 1-12 20 WA NT QLD Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria E. camaldulensis provenances: Petford region Cairns Innisfail Atherton Dimbulah Petford 030 Kilometres 11 12 6 7 9 10 5 3 2 4 1 8 145° 146° 17° Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria E. camaldulensis provenances near Petford, Queensland, grown at Chachoengsao, Thailand. 2 year volumes 80 100 120 140 144.9 145.0 145.1 145.2 Latitude (degrees East, decimal) of provenance 2-year volume (m 3 x 10 -4 ) distance 40 km 10 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Remnant bushland can have: • Reduced species mix • Reduced genetic base • breeding options limited by fragmentation • Reduced pollination vectors • Reduced capacity to respond to change [...]... Commercial production – selected and improved Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Factors affecting seed longevity • Seed category: Orthodox seed/ recalcitrant • Temperature • Moisture • storage atmosphere Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 16 Purpose of seed testing • Assess and monitor the physical quality of the seed from the time of collection through to sowing... Maximising the life of seed in the seed bank • ATSC follow modified International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) rules for our specific needs • Determine if a seedlot should be stored or discarded Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 17 Principle components of seed testing • • • • • • Sampling Purity Dormancy Germination testing Vigour Moisture content Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening... Victoria 18 Sampling and mixing Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 19 Purity Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 20 Dormancy • Majority of species at the Australian Tree Seed Centre do not have seed dormancy • Types of dormancy: – seed coat dormancy e.g Acacia – physical dormancy e.g Macadamia – embryo dormancy e.g E delegatensis Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening... family - inbreeding depression of growth pollen seed Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Inbreeding problems Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Matching seed source to end use • • • • • Assisted regeneration - natural seed source Revegetation - suitable species, adapted seed source Conservation – broad genetic base, species diversity Land management (degraded soils)... mix of outcrossed, inbred progeny pollen pollen pollen seed 70% outcrossed 20% selfs 10% inbred (relative mating) Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Sampling technique for wild provs • Understand taxonomy and distribution of genetic diversity • Maximise genetic diversity in collection • Low level of phenotypic selection in wild populations • Avoid related trees Australian Tree Seed. .. testing Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 22 • Moisture content • Vigour Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 23 Seed storage at the ATSC • ATSC active seed store containing approximately 800 species and 13000 accessions • Purpose: act as a gene bank resource for Australian woody flora whereby, seed viability is maintained as long as possible • Seed is held in stock... discarded due to poor viability and vigour Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 24 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 25 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 26 Control of pests • Carbon dioxide (CO2) • Addition to CO2, Corymbia: freezer 1 week Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 27 Treat Quality Seed Like Fine Wine • Start... Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 27 Treat Quality Seed Like Fine Wine • Start with a quality product • Provide an ideal storage environment • Protect from Pests • Reap the Rewards Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria 28 . 1 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Healthy Seed – Standards of Seed Supply and Quality Assurance 2 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening. atmosphere 17 Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening Australia Victoria Purpose of seed testing. • Assess and monitor the physical quality of the seed from the time of collection through. provenance? • Geographic origin of particular seed or plants • Population of plants at a location • Sub-set of species diversity and adaptability Australian Tree Seed Centre Greening Australia Victoria Greening