The LiveSeeding “Hot Water Treatments to Sanitize Vegetable Seeds” webinar was held on Tuesday, March 26th. This event was co-organized by Bingenheimer Saatgut AG (DE), the French Organic Food and Farming Institute (ITAB, FR), and the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity (EC-LLD, BE).
Drawing registrations from representatives of Community Seed Banks (30%), exclusively organic seed producing companies (15%), partially organic seed producers (10%), and researchers (30%) across 31 countries, the event highlighted a global interest in sustainable seed sanitation methods.
With 135 people registered and 84 attendees participating actively, the webinar highlighted the agricultural community’s commitment to advancing organic farming practices.
Practical advice and technical challenges
At the start of the session, Stephanie Klaedtke from ITAB introduced Dr. Jelena Baćanović-Šišić, who delivered a comprehensive presentation on hot water treatments. Drawing from Bingenheimer Saatgut AG’s extensive experience, Dr. Baćanović-Šišić shared practical advice, tips, and tricks that were highly appreciated by the participants.
The engaging question and answer session that followed further emphasized the potential and technical challenges of hot water treatments, highlighting the importance of adapting protocols to individual seed lots. A notable interest emerged among participants regarding the impact of hot water treatment on seed microbiota, including beneficial microbes, signaling a need for further research in this area.
Development of training module
The Liveseeding project will develop an online training module on hot water seed treatments based on the insights gained from this webinar. Additionally, a compendium of seed sanitation practices is in the works to provide organic seed companies and community seed banks with practical tools and relevant knowledge to ensure seed health.
These resources aim to equip organic seed companies and community seed banks with the knowledge and tools necessary to maintain seed health using sustainable methods.
The presentation from the webinar is available on this link: Hot Water Treatments for Vegetable Seeds
