Growing Daffodils, Hybridizing, Planting, Pollination, Science, Seeds

What’s the verdict on white seeds?

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Is it worth keeping white seeds or seeds that aren’t fully black? I’ve got a number of seeds like this. These three came from the same pod. They’re all firm and round. I’m attempting crosses with infertile hybrids so I’ve been hoping unreduced gametes will yield fertile offspring.

5 comments for “What’s the verdict on white seeds?”

  1. I plant all seeds even those shrivelled and flattened. I get some germination even from a few of the flat seeds.

    Harold

  2. Thank you, Harold. I’ll definitely plant them, then.

    Do we know why some fail to develop the pigmentation? I wondered if it might be due to some genetic incompatibility.

    For anyone interested: I was just searching around for information on why the seeds might be black in the first place and I found an interesting article. It’s probable that the pigment involved is melanin and it can confer a number of survival advantages:

    “Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives”

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7324791/

    Ross

  3. I occasionally get white seeds.  I always plant but I suspect they are just a bit under developed.  I think they will all turn black if given enough time to dry in the pod.

  4. I will get a few full sized white seeds if I pick the pods early.  There are often some dried out seedlings that remain whitish of buff colored that have little endosperm in crosses that have yielded few black seeds.  These dry to flattened seed.  At Harold’s urging, I have planted these chaff of semi seeds and in some cases have gotten seedlings from them  These usually take longer to emerge and take some time to develop.  They do eventually flower.  My records do not have the detail needed to determine if I have had chaff grow.  I have had only one cross produce more seedlings than the number of seeds planted.    If you are doing wide crosses, I would also recommend planting everything that could result in a successful plant.  If you have lots of seed and can grow them to flowering well, I would plant out what you had room for.

  5. Thank you, Bill and Michael. I’ll take your advice. I wonder if they would have turned black if left out longer. I harvested them because the pod was yellow and shriveled and the perianth had detached. It’s a Div 7 and I’ve noticed several pods that do exactly this.

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