Glossary
Glossary
absorb — To take in.
adaptivar — Usually describes a population of an out-crossing species, such as kale or melons, in which many distinct varieties have been allowed to flower together and pollinate each other to create a diverse gene pool. The seeds of an adaptivar produce many unique plants which themselves may or may not produce similar offspring. Essentially, an adaptivar is a collection of many varieties that continually crossbreed with each other. The population is stewarded by human and/or natural selection to increase the frequency of desirable traits, such as disease resistance or flavor. Also see: grex and landrace.
aerate — To expose to oxygen or air.
agricultural biodiversity — The diversity of crops grown in an agricultural situation. High agricultural biodiversity is achieved when farmers plant multiple varieties of multiple species on their farms, as in a diverse organic vegetable farm.
airstone — A porous stone, the type you find in fish aquariums, which will diffuse the air that is being sent into the reservoir of a hydroponic system by an air pump. Airstone might be a natural material such as limewood or sandstone, but it could also be a man-made commercial product such as a Bubble Wand.
annual — A plant that completes its life cycle and dies in one year, such as lettuce, squash, or tomatoes and peppers. Also see: biennial.
biennial — A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle (produce seed and die), such as carrots, beets, onions, or cabbages. These plants all require a vernalization period to trigger bolting. Also see: annual.
biodiversity — The variation of life forms within a given ecosystem or for the entire earth. Biodiversity often is used as a measure of the health of a biological system. Often biodiversity is measured in the number of species present.
bolting — When a plant elongates to begin flowering.
botany — The study of plant life.
brassica — A kind of pet name for any member of the Brassica genus and sometimes members of the wider brassica family (Brassicaceae). A cabbage or mustard relative.
calyx — The ring of leaf-like sepals that surround, protect, and support a flower or fruit.
chaff — The inedible, dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine plant material.
conduct — Transmit energy.
CO2 — Carbon dioxide, a naturally occurring chemical compound used by plants, along with water, in the process of photosynthesis.
cotyledon — The inner part of a seed that contains stored energy used for growth.
cross-pollinator — A plant that readily shares and accepts pollen with other plants of the same species, sometimes requiring pollen from another plant to set viable seed. This includes corn, carrots, and cabbage among others. Often referred to a “crosser” or “out-breeder.” Also see: self-pollinator.
cultivate — To nurture, tend to, and grow a living thing.
dynamic systems — Dynamic systems allow water and nutrients to circulate.
ecotype — A local variant produced through selection pressures of the local ecology. A locally adapted variety is often developed when a seed is saved and stewarded though multiple seasons and is the result of a microevolution that adapts a seed variety to its bioregion or microclimate. Also see: selection, adaptivar, stewardship.
enzyme — Proteins produced in living cells that speed up or increase the rate of a chemical reaction such as the metabolic processes of an organism.
F1 — Refers to the first generation after a cross has been made. See hybrid.
foliar — Of leaves.
fruit — The seed-carrying part of a plant.
genetic diversity — Genetic diversity means that the individuals in a population differ in their inherited attributes. Wild plant populations are typically genetically diverse. A genetically diverse population has the flexibility to adapt.
germ — The embryo of a seed where much of the fats and minerals are stored.
germinate — To start to grow from a seed.
germplasm — A term used to describe the genetic resources for an organism, such as the characteristics of seeds or nursery stock.
grex — An interbreeding population of many distinct varieties. Possibly from the Greek for “herd.” Also see: adaptivar and landrace.
heirloom — An open-pollinated variety that has been passed down from generation to generation, though there is disagreement as to how many generations (plant or person) is necessary.
heterosis — Increased vigor of a hybrid when compared to its parental lines. The parental lines are often very inbred, therefore the vigor may not be higher than a similar non-inbred open-pollinated variety.
horizontal resistance — A combination of genes that act together to combat various pathogens or predators, cannot be isolated, and can adapt when those predators adapt, as opposed to Mendelian genetic theory of single gene resistance that can break down rapidly when predators adapt.
horticulture — The science and art of growing and using fruits, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, and grasses to improve our environment and to diversify our diets.
humidity — The amount of moisture in the air.
hybrid (F1) — A variety of a plant created by crossing two (usually inbred) parent lines. Due to the genetic trick of heterosis, a hybrid plant is often more uniform and the seed saved from a hybrid (the F2) will segregate and produce plants that do not resemble its parent.
hydroponics — A means of growing plants using water as the singular method of nutrient delivery.
inbreeding depression — A lack of vigor caused by saving seed from too few plants of an outbreeding species.
insect-pollinated — A term used to describe plants such as carrots, broccoli, or onions whose flowers are or can be pollinated by insects.
isolation distance — The distance required between two varieties of the same species in order to save seed that maintains varietal integrity.
landrace — A cultivated plant population that is genetically diverse and genetically flexible. A landrace can respond to selection pressures during cultivation.
Leca — Lightweight expanded clay aggregate.
lumens — Known in other terms as luminous flux, measures the perceived power of light from a natural or artificial light source.
lux — The measurement of the apparent intensity of light at a given distance.
macronutrient — A chemical element, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur, needed in large amounts by plants for growth and development.
micronutrient — A chemical element or compound that living organisms need in small amounts for growth and development.
medium (media) — A substance through which something is carried.
milk stage — The point at which a grain kernel is filed with sugary milky liquid.
mineral — Inorganic matter that must be consumed by plants or animals to remain healthy.
nutrient — Any substance that provides sustenance.
open-pollinated (OP) — A term used to describe a plant whose flowers are fertilized by natural means. A variety that, if properly isolated, will breed true-to-type when saved to plant the following year. An heirloom variety is an example of an OP variety. See also: hybrid.
outbreeder — See cross-pollinator.
perennial — A plant that lives for three or more years and does not die after it sets seed. Fruit trees are an easy example.
perfect flower — A flower that contains both male and female parts: Perfect flowers are bi-sexual.
pH — The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is. It ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic, and a pH greater than 7 is basic. Each whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value. For example, a pH of 4 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 5 and 100 times (ten times ten) more acidic than a pH of 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which is ten times more alkaline — another way to say basic — than the next lower whole value. For example, a pH of 10 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 9. Pure water is neutral, with a pH of 7.0. When chemicals are mixed with water, the mixture can become either acidic or basic. Vinegar and lemon juice are acidic substances, while laundry detergents and ammonia are basic.
photomorphogenesis — The process through which plant growth and development is controlled by light.
photosynthesis — The process employed by green plants to produce simple carbohydrates, using energy that chlorophyll captures.
plant variety protection (PVP) — A form of patent on open-pollinated varieties of plants. If a plant has been registered for PVP protection, it is illegal to save seed to grow out yourself. You must buy seed from a licensee or pay royalties to the license holder. Kamut is a PVP grain.
plumule — The undeveloped primary shoot of a plant embryo.
pollination — The transfer of pollen from a plant’s male sex organ to the female sex organ of the same or another plant. Pollination is required to create viable seed.
radicle — A young plant root.
roguing — The negative selection event of removing inferior plants from a population to help improve or maintain a variety. See also: selection.
roots — The lowest portion of a plant that serves to absorb nutrients, aerate the plant, and store nutrients. The roots also serve as a means of anchorage and support.
Seed Saver’s Exchange (SSE) — A network of people committed to collecting, conserving, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants. The organization, which was founded in 1975 and is based in Decorah, Iowa, publishes a yearbook wherein members list the seeds they have available to share with other gardeners.
seed swap — A gathering of gardeners and seed savers where seeds are freely exchanged. There are many models for seed swaps, with some (as in the UK, where they are called “Seedy Sundays”) charging a small entry fee and a small fee (50 pence) for seeds that are not directly exchanged for other seeds. National Seed Swap Day is January 31.
selection — Choosing the most vigorous or most well-formed plants out of a population for seed-saving purposes. If you eat the plants that are less than optimal, and leave the rest for seed production, you ensure the best genetics for seed. Also see: roguing.
selection event — Conditions that eliminate part of a planting of a specific variety, such as extreme cold, heat, dampness, drought, or pest infestation. For seed-saving purposes, selection events can help a population of plants to evolve under pressure.
self-pollinator — A plant with perfect flowers that usually pollinate themselves and rarely cross with other plants. This includes wheat, beans, tomatoes, and lettuce, among others. Often referred to as a “selfer.” (See also: cross pollinator.)
shattering — The breaking open of the seed pod or process by which ripe seeds separate from the seed stalk of a plant when they are dried. Usually, a seed saver wants to harvest and process the seed shortly before this occurs, lest they lose their seed.
shoot — A newly grown part of a plant that has emerged from a seed.
soil — The upper-most layer of most of the earth’s surface that is made up of eroded rock and decayed organic matter, as well as bacteria and fungi.
solution — A fluid, or liquid, with two or more substances mixed together and dispersed uniformly throughout.
species — A population of organisms capable of interbreeding in nature. (Interbreeding refers to producing the normal number of fully fertile offspring.)
sprout — To begin to grow from a seed, grain, legume, or nut. The new growth from a seed, grain, legume, or nut.
static system — Static systems do not allow for the circulation of water or nutrients.
stewardship — The mindful care of a place, plant, or anything else. For seed-saving purposes, stewardship is the process by which an open-pollinated variety is maintained or improved through the careful selection of plants from which to save seed.
stock seed — A special selection of seed that is prime quality and has had extra effort selecting it for the traits desired. Usually used by seed companies as the seed sent to the big seed growers to increase to giant quantities for sale. Our stewardship goal, on a non-industrial scale, is to make all the seed we save stock seed quality.
stratification — The process some seeds must go through for successful germination, in which the seed is kept cold and sometimes damp for a period of time before sowing. This may include freezing or refrigeration. The time involved may be a few weeks to a year. Usually, it is for a few months.
thresh — To break seeds free from the plant, seedpods, or hulls.
time isolation — Isolating seed varieties by planting so that pollen is not being shed by different varieties at the same time. This can be done successfully with corn, some mustards, and an annual brassica with a biennial variety of the same species.
variety — A type of plant, for example a tomato, which can be distinguished from other types of the same species. A yellow Galina cherry tomato is a different variety than a red Peacevine cherry tomato.
vegetable — Any part of a plant you eat that is not the fruit or seed.
vegetative — The growth stage of a plant that is typically characterized by leaf and stem growth. The other stages of plant growth that are not considered vegetative are flowering and fruiting. However, there is typically some vegetative growth during flowering and fruiting stages.
vernalization — A period of cold (the winter months) that a biennial must go through before it is triggered to produce flowers (and then seeds). Also, some seeds must go through a vernalization process (known as stratification) before they can germinate.
volunteer — A plant that grows without having been deliberately planted.
wind-pollinated — A term used to describe plants whose pollen is distributed through the wind. This includes beets chard, corn, spinach, and rye grain.
winnow — To separate the seed from the chaff, usually using wind or a fan.