Improvement of seed quality of medicinal plants and herbs in organic farming

Summary

As in vegetable growing or grain cropping the seed quality is an important factor for the successful cultivation of medicinal plants and herbs. In spite of intensive efforts made by specialised seed producers there are recurring problems with important quality parameters (e.g. germination capacity, emergence or seed health). The lack of sufficient study results is typical for special purpose crops, also concerning the particular host-parasite relationship and its methodical verification. Few experiences with the improvement of seed quality of medicinal plants and herbs are available. The intention of the study is to test physical and biological methods of seed treat-ment for their practicability in medicinal plants and herb cultivation. Fundamental information on the pathogens is also examined. Moreover there is a focus on further aspects of the production techniques (e.g. harvesting time) as a means to improve the seed quality.