TEIKEI Network › Breeders, Farms and Producers › Seeds and Breeding · 2 min read
Not every crop begins with a seed that the farm sows itself. Many vegetable crops are planted in the field as seedlings. Fruit, berries, and vines are not propagated via seeds but through planting material: young trees, cuttings, and scions.
A tree planted today shapes a farm for decades. That is why this work is also part of the foundation of food supply.
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Seedling cultivation | Growing strong seedlings from seeds that establish well in the field |
| Nursery | Raising young trees, berry bushes, and vines |
| Grafting | Placing a variety onto a rootstock via scions to propagate it true to type |
| Variety preservation | Maintaining trees of rare varieties at multiple locations and replacing them if they die |
Before around 1900, there were over 3,000 fruit varieties in Switzerland, of which about 1,000 have disappeared (ProSpecieRara).
ProSpecieRara manages around 2,500 fruit varieties. They grow on over 15,000 trees in more than 150 orchards, mostly at private locations. Each tree is recorded in a database, and a dead tree is replaced. Each variety should exist on six trees at a minimum of three sites. If the stock falls below this, the variety is placed on the Red List. Partner nurseries distribute trees and scions of rare varieties.
In Swiss organic farming, seedlings must come from organic production. For fruit and berry cultivation under Bio Suisse, seedlings generally come from domestic organic production. Other planting material requires an exceptional permit (bioaktuell.ch).
A steering levy is imposed on non-organic planting material for pome and stone fruit. The revenue subsidizes organic young trees from Swiss organic nurseries (bioaktuell.ch). This is an example of how cultivation is supported through a contribution in the responsibility chain.
↑ One level up: Seeds and Breeding
By Felix Schröder, with AI support (Claude)
Created on October 10, 2026 · Last updated on October 11, 2026
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