Index Seminum question

[Elaine Chittenden]

Dear Index Seminum participants, those using or interested in using
insitutional seed exchanges and those having an opinion they'd like to share:

The current practise in Beal is to offer seed of most collections until
that particular collection runs out.  We are considering a cut off period
of perhaps 5 years (any seed collection that is more than 5 years old would
be tossed).  Most seed offered in the Beal index is collected in the season
immediately prior to the year in which the seed is offered, however there
is still an apparent need to come up with a maximum time or cut off time
after which old seed will be discarded.

My questions to other Index participants and interested persons are:

1)  Do you offer seed older than one year?

1a) If yes how old is the seed you send?

2) What are the advantages (research or other) of offering older seed?


Because the uses of the Index Seminum are so varied and possibly unknowable
to the nth degree I would appreciate any comments on the advantage of
offering seed older than 1 year.  It is known that seed of certain species
(some legumes etc.) germinate at a higher rate after 1 year or more but I'm
under the impression that this is the exception rather than the rule.

Professor Beal and MSU certainly has the recognition for extending a seed
viability experiment, however, the Beal Index Seminum is not and currently
will not be involved in seed viability tests.

Thanks in advance for any responses offered.

Elaine

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Elaine Chittenden        Email:chitt at gnds.msu.edu
Collections Manager, W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, 412 Olds Hall,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1047

(517)355-7750   fax: (517)353-4631