Breeding for the Future: Domesticating Native Plants

This episode of "The Poor Proles Almanac" features a conversation between host Andy and Aaron Parker, a nurseryman and seed farmer from Edgewood Nursery. They discuss the concept of breeding and domesticating native plants, particularly focusing on their potential as food crops and their role in resilient ecosystems amidst climate change.

Exploring the Potential of Underutilized Native Plants: The conversation begins by highlighting the wealth of native plants that offer potential as food sources but remain underutilized or even forgotten. Aaron emphasizes the intersection of perennial vegetables and native plants, noting that many species often cultivated solely for their ecological benefits could also contribute to meeting human food needs. He cites examples like ground nuts (Apios americana) and Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoisensis) as plants with promising qualities that have been subject to limited or abandoned breeding efforts.

The Accessibility Challenge and the Role of Food Culture: The discussion then shifts to the challenge of making these less familiar native foods accessible to a wider audience. Andy acknowledges the need to move beyond simply promoting the historical presence of these plants in the landscape and instead find ways to integrate them into contemporary food culture. Aaron suggests that highlighting the harmony between human food production and ecological benefit could be a compelling approach. He uses common milkweed (Asclepius ceriaca), a plant valued for its role in supporting monarch butterflies, as an example of a species that also offers edible components at various stages. Engaging with innovative chefs and restaurants is also proposed as a way to introduce these novel ingredients and expand culinary possibilities.

Backyard Breeding and the First Steps to Domestication: The episode emphasizes the accessibility of plant breeding for even the average backyard gardener. Aaron encourages listeners to cultivate native plants and observe their traits, selecting seeds from individuals that exhibit desirable characteristics, such as exceptional flavor or yield. He draws a parallel to childhood experiments with sunflowers, where selecting the largest seed heads each year leads to a gradual shift in the population's traits. This simple act of selection, repeated over generations, represents the fundamental principle of domestication.

Balancing Selection Pressure and Genetic Diversity: Aaron shares his approach to breeding, noting that he prefers making less drastic selections to maintain a broader gene pool and avoid unintended consequences that can arise from pushing a population through a genetic bottleneck. He explains that observing plants over multiple years and in various environmental conditions is crucial, as a plant that thrives in one year might not perform as well under different conditions.

The Evolving Relationship Between Humans and Plants: The conversation touches on the delicate balance between domestication and preserving the wild character of native plants. Aaron describes his practice of establishing diverse gene pools from locally sourced material, allowing him to observe and make decisions about whether to maintain the original genetics, select for specific traits, or pursue a split approach where both wild and domesticated populations are preserved.

Climate Change and the Urgency of Adaptation: The episode underscores the impact of climate change on plant selection and breeding strategies. Aaron notes the need to consider plants' adaptability to increasingly warmer summers and less predictable winters. He shares his focus on species that can tolerate both extreme cold snaps and extended periods of high temperatures. The example of figs, a traditionally warmer-climate fruit, is discussed, with both Andy and Aaron sharing their experiences with pushing the boundaries of hardiness and exploring the potential for figs to thrive in colder regions in the future.

Highlighting Specific Plants and Breeding Goals: Aaron delves into specific native plant species that hold particular interest for him, including:

• Pawpaws (Asimina triloba): He sees pawpaws as a promising tree crop for a future with hotter summers, noting their ability to withstand brief cold snaps while thriving in warm conditions.
• Appios (Apios americana): He acknowledges the existing recognition of appios' potential as a food crop and points to the historical evidence of its cultivation by Indigenous peoples.
• Hickories and Pecans (Carya spp.): He emphasizes the diversity within these nut-bearing trees and the evidence of past human selection, suggesting opportunities to rediscover and enhance desirable traits.
• Helianthus stromosus (Woodland Sunflower): He describes his experience with breeding this sunflower relative, showcasing the potential to select for more manageable tuber growth habits while maintaining its ecological benefits.

The Vision of a Future with Native Food Crops: The episode concludes with a discussion of the long-term vision for integrating these native plants into the food system. While acknowledging the challenges, Aaron expresses optimism about the possibility of these crops becoming a meaningful part of people's diets. He emphasizes the resilience of many of these species and their potential role in creating a more sustainable and ecologically sound food production system. Andy draws a comparison to the craft beer movement, suggesting that connecting native foods to specific places and highlighting their unique connection to the local landscape could enhance their appeal and cultural significance.

The Importance of Biodiversity and Specialist Relationships: The conversation concludes by emphasizing the ecological value of native plants, particularly their role in supporting specialized insect species that rely on these long-established relationships. Aaron highlights the contrast between native plants and more recently introduced species, noting that while the latter might provide nectar and pollen, they often lack the intricate co-evolutionary connections that underpin a healthy and resilient ecosystem.

Climate Change as a Driver of Selection and Assisted Migration: The final segment addresses the accelerating pace of climate change and its implications for plant selection and management. Aaron acknowledges that certain boreal species currently present in his region might not be viable in the long term. However, he sees an opportunity to assist the migration of species from warmer regions, such as pawpaws and spicebush, that are likely to thrive as the climate shifts. He advocates for a broad approach to planting and observation, allowing natural selection to guide the process while also actively promoting species that show promise for adapting to the changing conditions.

Check out Edgewood nursery at: https://edgewood-nursery.com/

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