The user gene bank
Cereals and other plants are distributed as in a user gene bank. We handle and keep the seeds in small bags to keep the varieties clean. The quantities of seed to be distributed are, as the case may be, from a few tens of kilograms to a few hundred kilograms. Larger quantities through certified seed production.
Landraces
An important part of our cereals are landraces. We clean them from foreign grains, part of the selection is made to improve crop characteristics.
Rusutjärvi landrace wheat from Tuusula in southern Finland. In the Food Register since 2019. Relatively late and long straw. High protein and mineral content. Baking tests.
Olympia autumn wheat. Variety selected from landrace in Keski-Uusimaa, registered in 1941. In the Food Registry. Beautiful grain, good baking quality and wintering. Long straw. Baking tests. Seeds available.
Selection Dalarna lantvete. Landrace spring wheat from Dalarna in Sweden. Tasty. Baking tests. Seeds available.
Selection Ölands lantvete. Commonly grown landrace wheat in Scandinavia. Perhaps a little bit too late for Finland. Waiting for its turn.
Selection Gotland spring spelt. At cultivation experiments.
Selection Folkärna spring spelt from Dalarna. Big diversity, slightly earlier than the previous one. Working on it.
Selections of Emmer and einkorn.
Tvengsberg swidden rye. Of Finnish origin, found in Norway. Under test cultivation at Food bureau. Seeds available.
Fulltofta spring rye. Hans Larsson's versatile rye from Sweden. Contains a lot of Finnish rye. Seeds available.
Old Varieties
ApuRuso spring wheat. Crossing of the old cultivars Apu And Ruso. Final selection 2014-2017 in Nyby. Very early maturing. Baking tests. Some seed available.
In comparison are Finnish varieties from the decades of our independence. At least these we are likely to be growing: spring wheats Ulla and Hopea.
Breeds of our own
Nyby rye. Breeding based on the rye Tvengsberg. The external appearance is chosen to be the same, but the straw is shorter. Under increasing cultivation.
Organic varieties (based, for example, on Rusutjärvi and Olympia) and heterogenous grains of the upcoming organic regulation are under work.
Various heterogenous grains, based on Nordic landraces and old Finnish quality varieties are under development. Also aiming at modern heterogenous wheat with a focus on rust resistance.
The main cultivation work is carried out under field conditions, part of the breeding work takes place in our basement in greenhouse conditions.
History of wheat
Cereal varieties have, over time, developed to fit human cultivation, moved from one place to another, and ultimately enabled the development of our culture.
An important cornerstone was the discovery of plants whose seeds did not fall to the ground as the seeds matured. However, due to the chemical cultivation methods and the industrial processing of cereals, the processing has changed the grain, adapting it to chemical inputs and, for example, to the demands of the baking industry.
With shorter straw lengths modern cereals also have shorter root systems, which are weaker to absorb nutrients and moisture, and when investing in good baking quality, health considerations have been left behind, such as with gluten.
Shelled wheat spelt, emmer and einkorn are old forms of cultivated wheat.
Tetraploid emmer wheat evolved from diploid einkorn through a natural cross with a diploid grass. Similarly, hexaploid spelt and non-shelled, common wheat evolved from wild emmer through crossings with a diploid grass.
Shelled wheat has, as its name implies, a shell attached to the grains that stays during all cultivation operations. The shell protects the grain but also increases the work in cultivation. This protective shell is part of the spike and must be removed before, for example, grinding, whereby the exposed grain is similar to that of common wheat.
When cultivated, these wheats often have late maturity and susceptible to lodging, but are often very resistant to common plant diseases.
Spelt and common wheat are closely related to each other, and also cross naturally.
The main difference is that wheat has been breeded for centuries in terms of cultivation and, in particular, in terms of use in industry. With spelt on the other hand, it is important not to spoil its genetic heritage by introducing the properties of common wheat.
Spelt is very similar to modern wheat, but more gentle on the stomach, so many people with sensitive stomachs can eat it. However, not celiac disease sufferers already. Emmer and einkorn are even older in the history of wheat development, and their gluten composition is such that by eating them it should not, even in theory, be possible to get celiac disease. However, they are not suitable for people with celiac disease. While spelt can be used quite a bit like wheat in baking, emmer and einkorn are capable of flavoring and replacing rice, for example. Generally, higher levels of nutrients are found in old wheat than in modern wheat.
Shelled cereals are very much landraces and have developed for centuries to suit local conditions. The same is true of landrace wheats, although their cultivation history is much shorter, especially in the Nordic countries. Landraces have adapted to cultivation at a time when cultivation work was largely manual. At that time, the spring cereals did not suffer much from a slight late harvest, and the long straw has been useful in the care of domestic animals.
In current cultivation, these characteristics are more detrimental, especially in wet autumns, also in autumn cereals, if the sometimes very long straw produces a problem in the form of lodging. One of the tasks for landrace cereals is to look for strains that are more suitable for cultivation.
Good qualities in landraces might be more flavour, softer gluten and higher protein and mineral content than modern wheat. Within certain limits, it is possible to try to by breeding make landrace cereals more suitable for modern, mechanical cultivation. The important thing is to try not to degrade their good qualities.
ADDRESS
Röyläntie 35
02940, Espoo
CALL US
+358 400 702472
EMAIL
magnus.selenius@kolumbus.fi
