b'THE WORLD OF SEED AFTER COVID-19OVER THE RECENT period of change caused byrienced seed people and supply the real thing COVID-19, we can only just imagine what ain a quality product at a reasonable price. Other future world of seed would be like. This crisissellers are what we call fly-by-nighters meaning has created a greater interest in seed and peoplethat they have little experience with seed but see wanting to secure supply of the items that arean opportunity to make money. made from it. However, we may see a change inThe supply of Moneybags may be hard to the demand countries around the world have forcome by, but all tomato seeds look the same, so the importation of seed.our not-so-reputable seed seller just substitutes it As world debt increases, countries may try tofor a cheaper variety, yet still calls it Moneybags. be more self-sufficient in feeding their popula- The seed that they replaced Moneybags with was Anthony Leddin,tions, to stimulate their own economies. Couldcheap and old, so the germination was low.Founder, Plantthis stimulate a new green revolution in agricul- Who is going to find out this secret? The Breeders Withouttural research? Unfortunately, this seems unlikely.grower will, when he harvests the plant and Borders Most governments will be looking to decreasenotices that the plants dont look the same or spending and it is usually agricultural researchmaybe the seed doesnt even germinate. By then, that is of lower priority compared to things suchif they complain, the seller has closed up shop, as health and security. making their money and moving on to their next So, what sort of environment are we likely toscheme.see in the seed world?So how can we police the seed market so that Most governments will leave it to free mar- this problem doesnt occur? At a smaller scale kets to come up with the solution. We knowwe need to try and certify seed sellers so that that overall, there will be a greater demand forthe consumer can be confident that the product seed. A good example of this is in the backyardthey are receiving is the real thing. This is where vegetable seed sector. Seed companies could notnational seed associations can help. keep up with the demand for seed once COVID- Seed sellers pay a fee to become a member 19 hit, and it is looking like it will be the sameand some of this fee is used to certify the seed this spring in Australia.sellers to make sure they are doing the right There are a lot of people out of work in thething. Consumers must be told the risks of Western world and jobs that were once commonbuying cheap seed from uncertified seed sellers. in our society will take a long time to come back. The next step the seed industry can do is to These people will be looking for a way to makeuse molecular technologies to determine that the an income and seed is lucrative option for them.variety claimed to be sold is the real thing. We all know that to be a good seedsperson,It is vital over the next few years that a cheap, it must be a passion that drives you: it is not areadily accessible and reliable genetic test be skill that can easily be learned. It will lead to amade available to the seed industry for both self less discernable marketplace where there will beand cross-pollinating species in all crops of inter-many sellers for a product of interest with a vari- est.ation in price.With the greater interest from consumers in We are told that competition in the market- food and seed, COVID-19 has presented the seed place is good for the consumer, but I wouldindustry an opportunity to move into a new age. suggest that this is not always the case. Lets takeLets learn from our mistakes and create an a fictional example of a new variety of tomatoenvironment that is sustainable for both the pro-that has grown popular in the marketplace calledducer and consumer.Moneybags.There is a strong demand for thePlant Breeders Without Borders encourages seed, so this increases the number of sellers thatplant breeders and students to volunteer their want to supply it. Some of these sellers are expe- time for international breeding projects. 34GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2020'