VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOWCASE 2021

Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Variety Showcase went virtual with video presentations and Q&A sessions featuring current projects from around the globe that prioritize breeding for culinary quality and/or organic systems. Click on the titles to re-watch the presentations, or use the timestamps to navigate yourself.

February 22nd - 26th, 2021: VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOWCASE

Monday February 22

Preservation and Selection of ‘Penncrisp’ Blanching Celery (0:00 - 29:42)
Presenters: Earl Groff (Groff’s Vegetable Farm) & Tom Culton (Culton Biologique) from Lancaster, PA

Interspecific Hybridization in Amateur Squash Breeding (30:00 - 59:55)
Presenter: Klaus Brugger (amateur plant breeder) from Austria

Okra Seed Oil Breeding Project (1:00:00 - 1:32:50)
Presenter: Chris Smith (The Utopian Seed Project) from North Carolina

Winter Radish Breeding (1:33:39 - 2:03:18)
Presenter: Peter Lassnig (Solawi Ackerschön) from Austria

Seed Production with Organic Seed Alliance (2:04:07 - 3:05:20)
Presenters: Micaela Colley, Laurie McKenzie, and Jared Zystro (Organic Seed Alliance) from Washington and California

Tuesday February 23

Kabocha Squash Breeding (4:00 - 33:20)
Presenter: Lindsay Wyatt (Johnny’s Selected Seeds) from Maine

History of Seed and Plant Catalogs (34:00 - 1:31:17)
Presenter: Alice Formiga (Oregon State University and eOrganic)

Organic Naked Barley (1:32:00 - 2:04:50)
Presenters: Brigid Meints, Pat Hayes, Jordyn Bunting, & Cristiana Vallejos (Oregon State University Barleyworld)

Plant Breeding with Organic Seed Alliance (2:05:30 - 3:10:05)
Presenters: Micaela Colley, Laurie McKenzie, and Jared Zystro (Organic Seed Alliance) from Washington and California

Wednesday February 24

Lorenzo Trussoni Heirloom Safflower (0:00 - 31:00)
Presenters: Norah Hummel, Steffen Mirsky, and Cody Egan (Seed Savers Exchange) from Iowa

Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture (31:30 - 1:01:55)
Presenters: Phil Simon (USDA-ARS) from Wisconsin, Jaspreet Sidhu (UC Davis) from California, Micaela Colley & Laurie McKenzie (Organic Seed Alliance) from Washington

Rainbows of Peas (1:02:35 - 1:33:45)
Presenters: Johanna Keigler & Michael Mazourek (Cornell University) in New York

Thursday February 25

Steph Kuri’ – a red kuri squash (02:55 - 32:41)
Presenters: Adrienne Shelton & Shaina Bronstein (Vitalis Organic Seeds)

Participatory Beet Breeding (33:17 - 1:02:10)
Presenter: Solveig Hanson (now: University of British Columbia; research conducted at UW-Madison)

Tartary Buckwheat (1:02:48 - 1:32:55)
Presenter: Nathan Kleinman (Experimental Farm Network) from Pennsylvania

Purple Sprouting Broccoli breeding (1:33:10 - 2:20:30)
Presenter: John Navazio (Johnny's Selected Seeds) from Maine

Friday February 26

#ArtGenetics. Genomes on Canvas: Artist’s Perspective on Evolution of Plant-Based Foods (could not be recorded due to copyrights)
Presenters: Ive De Smet, molecular biologist VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, and David Vergauwen, art historian at Amarant (Belgium).

Yakteen, a beloved Palestinian edible gourd (0:00 - 37:46)
Presenters: Vivien Sansour (Palestine Heirloom Seed Library) & Ken Greene (Hudson Valley Seed Company) from New York

Marzito' a unique, mini-Marzano tomato (38:40 - 1:06:11)
Presenter: Josh Kirschenbaum, Cheni Filios, and James Irvine (PanAmerican Seed Company)

The 2021 Virtual Variety Showcase was made possible thanks to the Oregon Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and our generous sponsors!

ABOUT: Variety Showcase events strive to shed light on the importance of organic seed. They are organized with the idea that everyone in the food system should have a chance to participate in the plant breeding process. The gatherings are meant to build community and inspire collaboration. Chefs are paired with plant breeders to create a unique dish featuring a specific cultivar or breeding line. The seed work presented at these events focuses on a wide variety of issues and values including climate change, culinary quality, nutritional content, biodiversity, cultural preservation, spirituality, seed sovereignty, and much more. Attendees have the unique experience to taste new and in-development vegetable, fruit, and grain cultivars. Variety Showcase events allow everyone to engage in conversation, share opinions, and take part in breaking down the walls between eaters and breeders. The hope is for everyone to experience joy, discovery and connection simultaneously.