Shelf life of fodder beet seeds. Shelf life of different seeds for the garden. Seed storage methods

All our seeds meet the requirements of GOST, because... We are very sensitive to the quality of our products. According to GOST requirements, packets of seeds are marked with a sell-by date, not an expiration date.

Shelf life of seeds

The shelf life of seeds (meaning the period of sale of seeds) is the time interval established by law during which seeds can be sold at retail, starting from the moment they are packaged.
In accordance with the “Procedure for the sale and transportation of seeds of agricultural plants”, article 7.1:
“The sell-by date is established for seeds packed in single paper bags from the date of packaging current year until the end of the next year. For seeds packaged in double packaging and only using foil and other airtight materials - from the packaging date of the current year until the end of the second year of sale.”
Now, as an example, let’s take cucumber seeds or tomato seeds of the same harvest, let’s say “autumn 2018.” If these seeds are packaged in paper bags in October 2018, then, in accordance with the law, it will be necessary to put an expiration (sale) date on them: 12.2019. And if these same cucumber seeds or tomato seeds first lie in a warehouse for a couple of months and are packaged in January 2019, then the expiration (sale) date on them will already be 12.2020. Those. a year more, although we repeat, these are the same seeds.

Seed germination

Seed germination - as opposed to shelf life - is biological characteristics seeds of plants of certain crops.
In accordance with the Great Soviet Encyclopedia: “Seed germination is the ability of seeds to produce normal seedlings within a specified period under certain germination conditions... ...Seed germination largely depends on the technique of their cultivation, harvesting methods and storage conditions.”
Those. The germination of seeds does not depend in any way on the month in which the cucumber seeds or tomato seeds were packaged, but is determined, first of all, by the belonging of the seeds to a particular crop and, accordingly, how long certain seeds can be stored.
So, returning to our example, tomato seeds from the “autumn 2018” harvest retain their germination even when normal conditions storage for 4-5 years, i.e. until 2023, and cucumber seeds from the fall 2018 harvest - within 6-8 years, i.e. until 2024-2026

Shelf life of vegetable seeds without loss of germination

Seeds vegetable crops
Seed shelf life (years)
A) Parsnips, celery, onions 1 - 2 years
B) Leeks, lovage, parsley, dill, spinach, sorrel 2 - 3 years
C) Carrots, peppers, lettuce 3 - 4 years
D) Eggplant, kohlrabi, turnips, beets, cauliflower 35 years
D) Wild cabbage, broccoli, rutabaga, radish, radish, tomato 4 - 5 years
E) Peas 4 - 6 years
G) Corn, beans, beans 5 - 7 years
H) Watermelon, melon, zucchini, cucumber, squash, pumpkin 6 - 8 years

Flower seeds
Seed shelf life (years)
A) Aster, calendula, verbena, helichrysum, gatsania, godetia, kochia, foxglove, arctotis 1 - 2 years
B) Ageratum, chrysanthemum, viola, gaillardia, annual dahlia, delphinium, iberis, bluebell, decorative sunflower, decorative tobacco, lobelia, scabiosa, zinnia, purslane, hollyhock 2 - 3 years
C) Carnation, gum, snapdragon, nemesia, penstemon, lavatera, malopa, stockrose, poppy, eschscholzia 3 - 4 years
D) Petunia, marigolds, nasturtium, sweet peas, lupine, cosmos, salvia, decorative beans, sage, salpiglossis, nirembergia, schizanthus 4 - 5 years
E) Impatiens, cornflower, gillyflower, alyssum, malcolmi 5 - 6 years
E) Amaranth, celosia 6 - 8 years

The troublesome autumn was followed by a restless winter. Now is the time to think about seeds for next season. They lie in the house, preserved not only from this year, but even from the previous year. What to do with them? Leave? Will they germinate? How many and, most importantly, how to store them? Let's try to figure out these questions.

By the way, there are amazing cases in history when seeds were discovered during excavations of ancient structures, they were planted and they... germinated, and germinated after thousands of years! This was the case, for example, in the middle of the 19th century, when wheat seeds were found at the bottom of a 3,000-year-old vase: they were sown and they sprouted. True, this miracle can be explained: a constant temperature and humidity were maintained in the vase, and the seeds were apparently well ripened and dried. Namely, such conditions are necessary for better preservation seeds Then the metabolic processes in the seed are greatly inhibited, it enters a dormant stage, and the embryo under such conditions can remain alive for a long time.

However, the ability to maintain germination varies among different crops. And it depends not only on the type of culture, but also on maturation conditions, preparation for storage And storage itself.

The age of seeds is counted from the day of collection, and their longevity is divided into economic And biological.

More important for us economic durability- the time during which a certain (large) percentage of seeds retain the ability to germinate. Here, for example, are indicators of the economic longevity of vegetable seeds (in years):

Biological longevity time during which at least a single seed remains capable of germination:

By the way, the seeds lose their viability gradually. At first, only 25% die. This happens slowly, then the process accelerates and almost all the seeds die, although among them there may remain rare specimens that have not lost their germination, unlike all their fellows.

The main reason why seeds lose their viability faster is their high humidity , so just now collected seeds needs to be dried outdoors, spreading them out thin layer on paper or fabric so that moisture is easily absorbed. There is no need to dry the seeds in the sun; it is better in the shade with access to air. It is dangerous to dry near a stove or radiator - the seeds can easily dry out there.

Be sure to dry the old seeds, especially if you kept them in an unheated country house. Don't forget about suitable packaging - bags from thick paper, linen fabric.

The seed shell is porous, so it easily absorbs moisture from the air, which is why store seeds It is necessary in a dry room and at a constant temperature. You can store them in the cellar or refrigerator, but only in an airtight container, for example, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The main thing is that the seeds do not absorb moisture, otherwise they will begin to breathe more intensely and lose nutrients, the embryo will awaken prematurely from sleep and die.

Two ways to store seeds

First way used in production: the seeds are specially brought to a moisture content of 5–10% and only then put into moisture-proof packaging (for example, polyethylene), and then into fabric bags.

With more high humidity the seeds will breathe more intensely and release heat and carbon dioxide. Therefore, if at home it is impossible to dry the seeds exactly to this moisture content (5–10%), then they should not be stored in plastic bags, otherwise they may suffocate.

Most suitable for gardeners second way. When drying at home warm room seed moisture is 10–15%. It is better to pour such seeds into a fabric bag and hang them in a room where it is constantly dry and cool.

L. Kalugina, Khimki

Seed shelf life limits When purchasing seeds, pay attention to their expiration date. When reviewing your own seeds, determine whether they are suitable for sowing by comparing them with the shelf life limits given below. 10-12 years – purslane; 6-8 years – watermelon, melon, kale, cucumber, squash, pumpkin; 5-7 years – endive, escarole, sweet corn; 5-6 years – vegetable peas, watercress, beans; 4-5 years – white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese, cauliflower and kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, red beets, asparagus, tomato, physalis; 3-5 years - eggplant, okra, hyssop, broccoli, red, Beijing and Savoy cabbage, 3-4 years - basil, mustard, oregano, chervil, coriander (cilantro), onion and leek, lovage, chard, carrots, borage (borage), pepper, lettuce, chicory, spinach; 2-3 years – anise, katran, catnip, onion, marjoram, lemon balm, peppermint, parsley, rhubarb, caraway, dill, fennel, sorrel, tarragon; 1-2 years – parsnip, celery, scorcionera, savory. It must be borne in mind that as the storage period of seeds increases, their germination rate decreases, the vigor of growth changes slightly, and the number of female flowers in a number of crops increases. Seeds with expired expiration date By the way, even if the expiration date of the seeds has expired, do not rush to throw them away. For example, pumpkin seeds (zucchini, squash, cucumbers) do not lose their viability for 6-8 years. And even after the expiration of the shelf life indicated on the label, they can sprout normally. Tomato seeds are slightly less viable - 5-6 years, but almost every summer resident had the opportunity to verify the high germination of older tomato seeds. The safety margin for seeds of pepper, eggplant, beets, and cabbage is 3-5 years. Well, the seeds of onions, dill, carrots, parsnips, and parsley lose their sowing qualities faster than others. In favorable conditions, seeds can retain their germination capacity much longer, but in unfavorable conditions they lose it before the deadline. There is virtually no doubt about the germination of seeds packed in foil bags. Unless the packages are opened, of course. Old seeds should definitely be checked in advance, so that if they are unsuitable, there is time to buy fresh ones. First, just inspect the seeds. If they look beautiful, without obvious flaws, and seem cool and slightly damp to the touch, then there is hope that the seeds have retained their germination capacity. Seeds that are wrinkled, gray in appearance, dry and warm to the touch cannot be awakened to life. An exception is sugar pea seeds: their wrinkling should not scare you. The germination of seeds of dill, carrots, celery, parsley, parsnip, caraway, and marjoram can be determined by smell: old seeds lose their inherent aroma and, therefore, germination. -Seed germination, timing of germination and ripening of vegetable crops Very often, gardeners ask such questions. How to check seed germination? In how many days will they sprout? What are the germination times? When to sow and when to expect germination? How many days does it take for the seeds of a particular vegetable to germinate? When will the first shoots emerge from the ground? How many days should I wait for the harvest after germination? When can you harvest? Knowing the timing of germination of a particular vegetable crop is very important for calculating the date of sowing vegetables for seedlings. Remember that all seeds have an expiration date, after which germination can be doubted. For example, the shelf life of celery seeds, onions, trumpets, leeks, sorrel, rhubarb is 2-3 years, dill, parsley, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, carrots are 3-4 years, peas, beans, cabbage, radishes, turnips, salad mustard- 4-6 years, watermelon, melon, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, squash - from 6 to 8 years. Beet seeds can be stored for 10 or even 20 years. And beans do not lose their viability for up to 700 years (it’s hard to even imagine). These periods cannot be considered strictly established. If certain conditions are observed (required humidity, temperature, tightness), then the seeds of many crops can be stored for longer long time. And when bad conditions storage, their germination rate can sharply decrease. A useful procedure when preparing seeds for sowing is calibration. It allows you to separate quality flowers from barren flowers. To cull barren flowers, it is customary to dilute salt in water, throw in the seeds, and leave them for a while (from half an hour to 2 hours). Those that float up must be thrown away. There is no 100% germination rate, but you can find out what percentage will sprout in advance. It’s easy to determine the germination rate of seeds. We need to create for them favorable conditions for growth. We take the seeds of any crop and place them between two layers of gauze. You don’t need to take a lot to check germination. 8-10 pieces are enough. Cover the seeds soaked in gauze with film or a saucer on top and place them where it is warm. shelf life of vegetable seeds Periodically, at least once a day, ventilate to prevent mold from appearing, check whether they have sprouted. Seeds that have roots or sprouts are considered sprouted. Each crop has its own time period after which they sprout. If the radish, for example, did not sprout after 7 days, and the zucchini after 10 days, then do not even try to sow such seeds. If they haven’t sprouted at home, they definitely won’t germinate in the garden. It also happens that the test showed good germination, but you sowed them in a bowl for seedlings, but they just don’t sprout. There is a very simple way to prepare seeds - to “force” the seedlings to emerge from the ground faster. True, it is more suitable for small containers. Place your bowl with the sown seeds inside a plastic bag and breathe into it. Then quickly tie the bag and place it in old place. The carbon dioxide you exhale and its concentration inside the bag will have a beneficial effect on the seedlings. Soon you will see the first shoots. You can increase germination by warming it up. To do this, place the seeds in a thermos with water at a temperature of 40-50°C. Keep them there for at least 6 hours. This method is contraindicated for tomato seeds! It is better to subject them to a hardening procedure. Rinse the seeds calibrated in salt water. It is advisable to disinfect them with a solution of manganese or a solution of colloidal silver. After all this, place the bowl with the seeds in plastic bag and place in the refrigerator where you store vegetables for 10-12 hours. Repeat this procedure every day for a week. That is, for 12 hours the seeds are kept at room temperature, and the remaining 12 hours - in the refrigerator. Seeds of crops such as carrots, celery, parsley take a very long time to germinate, because the essential oils that are present in their shell prevent the flow of water to the embryo. Therefore, the seeds of these plants must be treated before sowing. Place the seeds of these crops on a gauze (one gauze - one vegetable), place it in a saucer and pour a thin layer of vodka (40°). Leave them there for 15 minutes. During this time most of essential oils will dissolve. Then rinse the gauze with seeds in cool water several times.

Very often gardeners ask such questions. How to check seed germination? In how many days will they sprout? What are the germination times? When to sow and when to expect germination? How many days does it take for the seeds of a particular vegetable to germinate? When will the first shoots emerge from the ground? How many days should I wait for the harvest after germination? When can you harvest? Knowing the timing of germination of one or another garden crops is very important for calculating the date of sowing vegetables for seedlings.

I hope that the following table will help you navigate and get answers to the questions that concern all of us gardeners. Naturally, the terms indicated in the table refer to high-quality seeds sown in compliance with all rules of agricultural technology.

Vegetable seed germination table

Note.

* cabbage ripening time after planting seedlings in open ground.
** onions grown from sets ripen three weeks earlier.
*** period of technical ripeness of pepper; biological occurs 20 days later.

Shelf life of vegetable seeds

Remember that all seeds have an expiration date, after which germination can be doubted. For example, the shelf life of celery seeds, onions, trumpets, leeks, sorrel, rhubarb is 2-3 years, dill, parsley, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, carrots are 3-4 years, peas, beans, cabbage, radishes, turnips, salad mustard - 4-6 years, watermelon, melon, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, squash - from 6 to 8 years. Beet seeds can be stored for 10 or even 20 years. And beans do not lose their viability for up to 700 years (it’s hard to even imagine).

The shelf life of vegetable seeds without loss of germination cannot be considered strictly established. If certain conditions are observed (required humidity, temperature, tightness), then the seeds of many crops can be stored for a longer time. And under poor storage conditions, their germination rate can sharply decrease.

P.S. Quite rightly, dissatisfied comments appeared under this article. I confess that I used newspaper material without thinking about some of the contradictions. I read a lot of information in print publications and on the Internet on various agricultural topics. And sometimes it seems to me that there is no need to dwell in too much detail on some data, everyone already knows this. Now I understand that I was wrong in thinking that way.

When buying seeds, we see on the bags the year the seeds were packaged and their expiration date. But it should be borne in mind that the package actually indicates the period by which the seeds must be sold. If the deadline has expired, the packages with seeds are withdrawn from sale. That is, seed manufacturers use a not entirely correct term when pre-selling seeds. It would be more correct to write on the bag not “expiration date”, but “sell by date”. Many, many messages have been written and rewritten about this on various forums. There is even an “Information letter from the Novosibirsk company ATF Agros LLC, which sells seed material wholesale and retail, dated November 10, 2017” (http://mirfermer.ru/news/0/in/0/0/115/), addressed to seed producers with a proposal to change the words “expiration date” indicated on seed bags to the words “sell by date.” But seed manufacturers still write “expiration date” on the bags instead of “sell by date,” thereby unwittingly misleading us, the buyers.

Let me return to what I wrote in the article. Excuse me for simply automatically repeating the data that was given in the newspaper without comparing them. The shelf life of bean seeds, and in fact the period of sale of bean seeds, is really 4-6 years. These terms have been experimentally verified by agronomists and scientists.

I came across information about excavations where a jug or some other container with bean seeds that had not lost their germination was dug up. Scientists dated the found excavation objects to 700 years. So the newspaper and I followed it and used this data.

And now here is a fact from my gardening practice. While cleaning the dacha this year, I found plastic bottle, filled with beans, on which the year was written in my mother's hand - 1998. Mom is no longer there, there is no one to ask, but I think that the year the beans were harvested is written on the bottle. Our dacha house is not heated in winter. But over 20 recent years, probably, in cold winters the seeds did not experience much negative temperatures. Just for fun, I planted some seeds in the ground this spring (2019). And they all rose. So, for beans, a shelf life of 20 years is not the limit.

Natalia Mirgorodskaya

Germination, how to determine

A useful procedure when preparing seeds for sowing is calibration. It allows you to separate quality flowers from barren flowers. To cull barren flowers, it is customary to dilute salt in water, throw in the seeds, and leave them for a while (from half an hour to 2 hours). Those that float up should be thrown away.

There is no 100% germination rate, but you can find out what percentage will germinate in advance.

Determining seed germination is easy. We need to create favorable conditions for them to grow. We take the seeds of any crop and place them between two layers of gauze.

You don’t need to take a lot to check germination. 8-10 pieces are enough. Cover the seeds soaked in gauze with film or a saucer on top and place them where it is warm. Ventilate periodically, at least once a day, to prevent mold from appearing, check whether they have sprouted.

Seeds that have roots or sprouts are considered sprouted.

Each crop has its own period after which they sprout (see table above). If the radish, for example, did not sprout after 7 days, and the zucchini did not sprout after 10 days, then do not even try to sow such seeds. If they haven’t sprouted at home, they definitely won’t sprout in the garden.

How to increase seed germination

It also happens that testing shows good germination. You sowed them in a bowl for seedlings, but they just don’t sprout. What to do?

There is a very simple way to prepare seeds - to “force” the seedlings to emerge from the ground faster. True, it is more suitable for small quantities seed material. Place your bowl with the sown seeds inside a plastic bag and breathe into it. Then quickly tie the bag and place it in the same place. The carbon dioxide you exhale and its concentration inside the bag will have a beneficial effect on the seedlings. Soon you will see the first shoots.

Germination can be increased by heating. To do this, place the seeds in a thermos with water at a temperature of 40-50°C. Keep them there for at least 6 hours.

This method is contraindicated for tomato seeds!

It is better to subject them to a hardening procedure. Rinse the seeds calibrated in salt water. It is advisable to disinfect them with a solution of manganese or colloidal silver. After all this, place the bowl with the seeds in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator where you store the vegetables for 10-12 hours. Repeat this procedure every day for a week. That is, the seeds are at room temperature for 12 hours. And the remaining 12 hours - in the refrigerator.

How to speed up germination

Seeds of crops such as carrots, celery, parsley take a very long time to germinate, because the essential oils present in their shells prevent the flow of water to the embryo. Therefore, the seeds of these plants must be treated before sowing.

I put the seeds of these crops on a gauze (one gauze - one vegetable), place it in a saucer and pour a thin layer of vodka (40°). I leave them there for 15 minutes. During this time, most of the essential oils will dissolve. Then I rinse the gauze with seeds in cool water several times. I dry it until it becomes friable. All. You can sow. Thanks to this processing method, the seeds will sprout much faster.

Material used from the newspaper “Niva Kubani” with the supplement “Nivushka” 2014, No. 19 (305)

At long-term storage seeds they lose their germination percentage. The quality of the seeds is influenced by what culture they belong to, under what conditions they were stored, as well as by the method of production. If we talk about general rules, then it can be noted that the maximum comfortable conditions– temperature +14...+18 C and low air humidity of no more than 10%.

Even if storage rules are observed, the embryos gradually lose their properties over time. Some seeds may be viable even after 10 years, and some are already next year will not rise.

Previously, the shelf life was equal to the age of the seed. Over time this parameter has become irrelevant. Instead of biological age, there are many new parameters that are worth paying attention to. For example, seed germination, shelf life and sale, etc.

Shelf life of seeds is the time during which the product must be sold in order to preserve high process germination. This period is calculated from the day when the seeds were placed in industrial packaging for sale. The time it takes to collect, prepare and store the product does not affect the shelf life. Therefore, when purchasing seeds, the consumer takes a risk, since the manufacturer is not always honest when indicating the expiration date.

The shelf life does not affect the overall percentage of germination in any way. Gardeners know that germination depends on biological factors. Defined in percentage seeds planted and sprouted.

Standard storage conditions are temperature +5 ºC and humidity 55%. Such conditions are rarely met in industrial scale, and even more so when personal storage. In winter, seeds suffer from too dry air and temperature changes. Also, the seeds do not tolerate frost. If the temperature drop was even insignificant, then general indicator germination rate will drop sharply.

Therefore, even if the package says that the expiration date of the seeds is coming to an end, they may not necessarily sprout and vice versa. Before planting, it is recommended to check the percentage of germination.

Below is a table of the shelf life of vegetables with necessary conditions storage:

What affects germination

If we assume that the percentage of sprouted seeds depends on the expiration date on the package, then you need to know what factors influence the shelf life of the package:

1. Air humidity.
2. Temperature.
3. Seed moisture content.
4. Oxygen.