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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Healthy Seed –
Standards of Seed Supply and
Quality Assurance
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
What is quality?
• Species name
• Origin details
• Viability/Germination
•Purity
•Storage life
• Genetic diversity
• Documentation
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Managing quality
• Quality control procedures
• Processes to ensure ‘quality’
• Quality assessment
• Processes to measure ‘quality’
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria

Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Quality control
• Specifications for collections
• Species (vouchered)
•Location
• Collection strategy (no. plants, quantity/plant)
• Timing (maturity)
• Viability and Purity
• Post-collection handling
• Documentation
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
What’s a provenance?
•
Geographic origin of particular seed or plants
•
Population of plants at a location
•
Sub-set of species diversity and adaptability
Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
E. camaldulensis:
northern provenances
130° 140°
10°

Petford region
Cairns
Innisfail
Atherton
Dimbulah
Petford
030
Kilometres
11
12
6
7
9
10
5
3
2
4
1
8
145° 146°
17°
Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
E. camaldulensis provenances near Petford, Queensland,
grown at Chachoengsao, Thailand. 2 year volumes
80
100
120

70% outcrossed
10% inbred
(relative mating)
seed
pollen
pollen
pollen
Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Sampling technique for wild
provs
• Understand taxonomy and
distribution of genetic diversity
• Maximise genetic diversity in
collection
• Low level of phenotypic selection in
wild populations
• Avoid related trees
Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Self-fertilised family - inbreeding
depression of growth
seed
pollen
Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Inbreeding problems

• ATSC follow modified International Seed Testing
Association (ISTA) rules for our specific needs.
• Determine if a seedlot should be stored or
discarded.
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Principle components of seed
testing.
• Sampling
•Purity
•Dormancy
• Germination testing
• Vigour
• Moisture content
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Sampling and mixing
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria
Purity
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria

• Seed is held in stock until exhausted via
consignment or discarded due to poor
viability and vigour.
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Australian Tree Seed Centre
Greening Australia Victoria
Greening Australia Victoria