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#1
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Trends in alder seed size?
I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want
is bigger seeds. Thinking I might find something different I went and looked at Bolam Lake (Northumberland) and indeed I found something different; the seeds were the smallest I have ever seen. Why should this be? Where can I find the opposite, big seeds? Bolam lake is inland. Might I find bigger nearer the coast? Higher? Lower? North? South? But here is another way of looking at it. Bolam lake is an artificial lake, no natural streams run into it, probably a design feature to avoid silting. Alders typically spread by the seeds floating downstream, that means that alder seeds can only have blown in, giving rise the trees bearing small I find now. So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. I stumbled accidentally on a circumstance which selected for small seeds. Can anybody think of a circumstance which selects for big alder seeds? Michael Bell -- |
#2
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Trends in alder seed size?
In article ,
Michael Bell wrote: I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Yes. As people have commented before, good luck, because you will need it! So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. Birch is related, and they are distributed by the wind for quite a long way, and can be a real pain. Naturally, that selects against becoming large. I don't know about alder. |
#3
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Trends in alder seed size?
On Nov 5, 10:20*am, wrote:
In article , Michael Bell wrote: I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Yes. *As people have commented before, good luck, because you will need it! So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. Birch is related, and they are distributed by the wind for quite a long way, and can be a real pain. *Naturally, that selects against becoming large. *I don't know about alder. Has it ever dawned on you that over many thousand of years of gathering anything that was edible someone during mankinds evolution would have found Alder seed and some selection would have taken place if it was of any food value. |
#4
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Trends in alder seed size?
In article ,
Dave Hill wrote: I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Yes. As people have commented before, good luck, because you will need it! So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. Birch is related, and they are distributed by the wind for quite a long way, and can be a real pain. Naturally, that selects against becoming large. I don't know about alder. Has it ever dawned on you that over many thousand of years of gathering anything that was edible someone during mankinds evolution would have found Alder seed and some selection would have taken place if it was of any food value. Yes. That's irrelevant. Some plants have been chosen for agriculture and others haven't and, in many cases it's completely unclear why. Goosefoot is edible, both in leaf and seed, and was eaten by the neolithic peoples as seed at least. Now, how many cultivated forms of that do you know? Some widely-grown plants, including hazel and walnut, are essentially the same as the wild forms. A little selection has taken place, but not enough to make much of a change. And I could go on. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#5
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Trends in alder seed size?
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#6
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Quote:
I read recently that modern plant breeders using the so-called traditional method of plant breeding deliberately irradiate the plant/seed (I forget at which stage) to get random genetic mutations, which I suppose might help speed things up a bit. Though its a bit easier with small annual plants like grass, you can grow a field of it and have thousands and thousands to select from in just a year. With a tree, it takes a lot longer and they take up a lot more space. |
#7
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Trends in alder seed size?
On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:02:46 GMT, Michael Bell
wrote: I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Thinking I might find something different I went and looked at Bolam Lake (Northumberland) and indeed I found something different; the seeds were the smallest I have ever seen. Why should this be? Where can I find the opposite, big seeds? Bolam lake is inland. Might I find bigger nearer the coast? Higher? Lower? North? South? But here is another way of looking at it. Bolam lake is an artificial lake, no natural streams run into it, probably a design feature to avoid silting. Alders typically spread by the seeds floating downstream, that means that alder seeds can only have blown in, giving rise the trees bearing small I find now. So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. I stumbled accidentally on a circumstance which selected for small seeds. Can anybody think of a circumstance which selects for big alder seeds? Not that it answers your question, but, given that the lake is artificial and (strangely) not fed by streams, perhaps the alders are a human-introduced population, and a small-seeded clone or variety was chosen by chance because it was the one available -- or, indeed, chosen for some other character entirely. -- Mike. |
#8
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Trends in alder seed size?
In message
Mike Lyle wrote: On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:02:46 GMT, Michael Bell wrote: I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Thinking I might find something different I went and looked at Bolam Lake (Northumberland) and indeed I found something different; the seeds were the smallest I have ever seen. Why should this be? Where can I find the opposite, big seeds? Bolam lake is inland. Might I find bigger nearer the coast? Higher? Lower? North? South? But here is another way of looking at it. Bolam lake is an artificial lake, no natural streams run into it, probably a design feature to avoid silting. Alders typically spread by the seeds floating downstream, that means that alder seeds can only have blown in, giving rise the trees bearing small I find now. So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. I stumbled accidentally on a circumstance which selected for small seeds. Can anybody think of a circumstance which selects for big alder seeds? Not that it answers your question, but, given that the lake is artificial and (strangely) not fed by streams, perhaps the alders are a human-introduced population, and a small-seeded clone or variety was chosen by chance because it was the one available -- or, indeed, chosen for some other character entirely. Maybe. I doubt if records have been kept or indeed were ever made. But a new thought has crossed my mind. I looked at the alders around. on the various burns they were rather different from each other. Alders obviously spread down the burns, so I went to the mouth of the Wansbeck where there is scrubby woodland. I found a large variety of alders, their ancestors obviously swept down the Wansbeck. I hope to find interesting hybrids tomorrow. Michael Bell -- |
#9
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Trends in alder seed size?
On Nov 5, 10:02*am, Michael Bell wrote:
I am trying to develop alder as a grain crop. One of the things I want is bigger seeds. Thinking I might find something different I went and looked at Bolam Lake (Northumberland) and indeed I found something different; the seeds were the smallest I have ever seen. Why should this be? Where can I find the opposite, big seeds? Bolam lake is inland. Might I find bigger nearer the coast? Higher? Lower? North? South? But here is another way of looking at it. Bolam lake is an artificial lake, no natural streams run into it, probably a design feature to avoid silting. Alders typically spread by the seeds floating downstream, that means that alder seeds can only have blown in, giving rise the trees bearing small I find now. So, how do tree seeds normally spread? In the case of hazel, oak, etc, obviously birds and squirrels, and they are the right size to be attractive to these creatures. Alder seeds seem too small. I stumbled accidentally on a circumstance which selected for small seeds. Can anybody think of a circumstance which selects for big alder seeds? Michael Bell -- All our trees have local sub-varieties which if left alone can vary over a few miles. There was an influx of Polish whips a few years back I remember that were entirely unsuited to our climate. |
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