Abies
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Kayla Herriman Manager USDA FS - R6 Bend Seed Extractory 63095 Deschutes Market Road Bend, Oregon 97701 kayla.herriman@usda.gov http://fsweb-ochdes.r6.fs.fed.us/seedextractory/ex |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Pinaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Pine | ||
| Scientific Name: | Abies | ||
| Propagation Goal: | Seeds | ||
| Propagation Method: | Seed | ||
| ProductType: | Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) | ||
| Stock Type: | seed processing | ||
| Propagule Collection: |
Collection – Cones are removed from trees and stored in mesh bags, one bushel per bag. Scientific Name: Abies amabalis, concolor, grandis, magnifica, procera Common Name: Pacific silver fir, white fir, grand fir, Shasta red fir, noble fir Species Code: ABAM, ABCO, ABGR, ABMAS, ABPR |
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| Propagule Processing: |
Pre-Processing – Bags of cones are pre-dried on racks in a well-ventilated indoor storage area. Bags should be turned daily until cones begin to fall apart. Kiln drying can be omitted if cones disintegrate naturally. If kiln drying is deemed necessary, bags are emptied into kiln trays, 5-6 bags/side depending on the size of cones. Cones are then kiln dried at 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-12 hours. If cones are dry and break apart they may not need to be kiln dried. Processing – *Note: all processing of Abies must take place in 60-degree temps or less. This includes tumbling, de-winging, screening, and gravity table and is to ensure that resin deposits do not soften and rupture during processing. Extraction: Cone material rarely needs to be run on the tumbler. If it is necessary, do not tumble immediately after kiln drying even if air temp is low because resin deposits will be too soft. Dust and the largest cone pieces are screened on the tumbler. Check all barrels to make sure seed is being captured before tossing inert material. De-winging: Do not de-wing Abies until after screening of most of the coarse inert material has occurred. Seed tends to de-wing naturally during the screening process and mechanical de-winging may not be necessary at all. Finishing: Seeds are air-screened, using a Clipper Eclipse Model 324. First run: Top screen = rounds between 19 and 30, 2nd= rounds between 20 and 32, 3rd = rounds between 20 and 32, bottom = rounds between 5.5 and 7, Air = 35-40. The goal of the first run is to remove as much of the lightest and largest inert material possible without removing any filled seed. Do not worry about perfecting fill and purity until the second run. If mechanical de-winging is needed, do so before the second run on the eclipse. Second run: same settings as first, but some lots my benefit by covering ½ of the top screen. The goal of the 2nd run is to further improve the purity and fill of the seed lot and reduce the overall volume without losing filled seed. Gravity: The Gravity Separator, Oliver Model 30 (the “old” gravity table), should be used to improve fill% and purity % if standards are not able to be achieved on the eclipse or clipper. Settings vary but seed typically requires high grading to achieve fill% over 65. Seek advice from management about how much seed loss is acceptable to achieve higher fill%. X-ray note: Seed fill can be difficult to judge on an x-ray image. Cut tests (at least 20 seed) should be used to confirm fill% on finished seed and seed to be thrown away. |
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Citation:
Herriman, Kayla . 2024. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) Abies Seeds seed processing; USDA FS - R6 Bend Seed Extractory Bend, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/22). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
