With the help of a climate-controlled growing system, SUNY Morrisville students are supplying the U.S. Department of Agriculture with thousands of seeds to be distributed globally.
"You can control the temperature and the lights so if we have something that likes to grow in the summer, we can make it summer in here even if it's cold outside," said Lucy Dixon, an instructional support assistant for the horticulture department at SUNY Morrisville.
The Agricultural Research Service at the USDA collects specialty crop seeds from various producers that are considered genetically "pure" varieties that are then distributed around the world allowing more people to grow different varieties of specialty crops.
Over the summer, Dixon said they grew tomatoes and cabbage as well as other hemp varieties. The USDA sent them 100 seeds to plant, but they sent back nearly 20,000 by harvesting and saving the seeds the plants produce to be distributed. In addition to supplying the USDA with these seeds, Morrisville students learn how to care for the crops and harvest the seeds, and how to determine different factors that are impacting the crops. For example, the hemp is currently exhibiting a yellowing on its leaves, a sign of distress in the plant.
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