Tema: Greenhouse/field

Busy time in field and greenhouse

The activity is high at NordGen’s field and greenhouse, both for staff and bumblebees. The greenhouse is filled with plants, some accessions are already blooming and in the isolation tents are the bumble bees busy pollinating. In the fields are cultivation beds prepared, new isolation tunnels built, it is weeded, sown and planted for seeds to be produced later this summer and autumn.

Jerker Niss and Annelie Thornberg tieing up peas. Photo S. Jeppson.

Every autumn/winter NordGen staff selects the accessions that need to be cultivated the coming season. The most common reason for cultivation is to increase the seed amount in the seed storage. Some accessions need to be regenerated since the seed viability gradually decreases even in frozen conditions. Accessions are also cultivated to be checked that the species and variety is what it is said to be, and to be described and photographed.

When genebank accessions are cultivated for seed must the risks be minimized for cross-pollination from other varieties and sometimes other species. This can be achieved by keeping proper distances between crossing varieties so that insects and wind cannot transfer pollen from one variety to another. For insect pollinated species it is also possible to use insect proof tents or cages, but then it is sometimes needed to also place bumblebees or other appropriate pollinators in the tents to ensure pollination.

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