Irradiation, Peltandra and non-aroid seed

From: Steve Marak samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 2001.10.28 at 04:54:49(7696) As we'd expect, the possibility of the US postal service irradiating mail and its potential effect on seeds and plants in that mail is popping up on list after list, at least those which are botanically oriented. I don't know the answer, and I suspect that the information about what might be done is still so vague that no one else really does either. One person on another list suggested that, based on numbers she had for doses used to irradiate food for preservation versus doses used to induce mutations in seeds, the required dose to kill bacteria was far less than what seeds could survive. But it was an apples-to-oranges comparison both in type of radiation and organism, and things vary wildly in how much radiation they can tolerate. The classic example is the cockroach, which is often touted as being able to take many times the equivalent of a human lethal dose with no ill effects. (Of course, they can apparently tolerate air pressures as low as the surface of Mars, too.) Regarding Peltandra seeds, I can be more definitive, at least as to P. virginica. I potted up a few that were germinating in the pods this afternoon, and tossed the rest into the refridgerator. The berries are indeed very dark green to purple-black on the exposed surface, often shading into green farther "down" the berry (toward the attachment point). I have a few extra, actually, and would be happy to send them to someone who would like to try this very hardy aquatic (well, I collected them from plants standing in several inches of slowly moving water; I don't know how much less water they will tolerate). I probably have enough to send some to 3 or 4 people, if that many are interested. (Please reply OFF LIST if interested; it'll save me time. I've been told it is critical not to let these dry out at all, so I'm cautious about mailing them out of the US. But if you're sure your customs people won't care about them coming in wet, I don't mind trying.) I've not forgotten those of you I promised seeds of Magnolia tripetala and Hedychium hasseltii. The hedychium did set several pods, more than previously, and I'm waiting for them to ripen. I've also got a couple of spare Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum seed heads which I'll be glad to send someone who doesn't mind cleaning them themselves. As with the Peltandra, I suspect that limits sending them outside the US, but if you tell me your sure it's OK where you live, I'll be happy to try. Steve +More -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

From: "Harry Witmore" harrywitmore at witmore.net> on 2001.10.28 at 15:59:48(7700) Steve, I would love to have some. For anyone interested I have tons of Anturium bakerii seeds as I'm sure everyone else does who grows it. Harry Witmore +More Cloud Jungle Art www.witmore.net -----Original Message----- Marak Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2001 12:55 AM To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Subject: Irradiation, Peltandra and non-aroid seed As we'd expect, the possibility of the US postal service irradiating mail and its potential effect on seeds and plants in that mail is popping up on list after list, at least those which are botanically oriented. I don't know the answer, and I suspect that the information about what might be done is still so vague that no one else really does either. One person on another list suggested that, based on numbers she had for doses used to irradiate food for preservation versus doses used to induce mutations in seeds, the required dose to kill bacteria was far less than what seeds could survive. But it was an apples-to-oranges comparison both in type of radiation and organism, and things vary wildly in how much radiation they can tolerate. The classic example is the cockroach, which is often touted as being able to take many times the equivalent of a human lethal dose with no ill effects. (Of course, they can apparently tolerate air pressures as low as the surface of Mars, too.) Regarding Peltandra seeds, I can be more definitive, at least as to P. virginica. I potted up a few that were germinating in the pods this afternoon, and tossed the rest into the refridgerator. The berries are indeed very dark green to purple-black on the exposed surface, often shading into green farther "down" the berry (toward the attachment point). I have a few extra, actually, and would be happy to send them to someone who would like to try this very hardy aquatic (well, I collected them from plants standing in several inches of slowly moving water; I don't know how much less water they will tolerate). I probably have enough to send some to 3 or 4 people, if that many are interested. (Please reply OFF LIST if interested; it'll save me time. I've been told it is critical not to let these dry out at all, so I'm cautious about mailing them out of the US. But if you're sure your customs people won't care about them coming in wet, I don't mind trying.) I've not forgotten those of you I promised seeds of Magnolia tripetala and Hedychium hasseltii. The hedychium did set several pods, more than previously, and I'm waiting for them to ripen. I've also got a couple of spare Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum seed heads which I'll be glad to send someone who doesn't mind cleaning them themselves. As with the Peltandra, I suspect that limits sending them outside the US, but if you tell me your sure it's OK where you live, I'll be happy to try. Steve -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

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