An official website of the United States government.
Plant breeders use genetics, statistics, and targeted mating systems to develop crops with increased yields, enhanced pest and disease tolerances, and increased nutritive components. Successful plant matings produce seeds that contain the embryo from which fruits, vegetables, and trees are grown.
Seeds can be planted, pressed for their oils, and consumed as a food source. Commercial growers and home gardeners rely on “true” seed that will grow and produce as advertised. Find information on federal plant research, seed accreditation and testing, sourcing plant germplasm and seeds, and other resources below.
The image shown is from the USDA Pomological Watercolors Collection: Prunus avium: Lambert (1907) by Deborah Griscom Passmore.
USDA Regulations and Quality Control
-
Federal Seed Act [ams.usda.gov]
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides regulatory oversight and enforcement of the Federal Seed Act (FSA) and its related regulations. The FSA is a truth-in-labeling-law that regulates agricultural and vegetable seed shipped in interstate commerce.
-
Accredited Seed Quality Testing [ams.usda.gov]
Seed quality equates to crop stand, yield, and overall value. The only reliable way to predict what will emerge post planting is through accredited seed testing – which quantifies germination, purity, noxious-weed seed and other information.
-
Variety Name Clearance System (VNCS) [ams.usda.gov]
The USDA Federal Seed Act requires that once a seed is traded or sold under one name, it cannot be changed or ever used for another variety of the same kind. Using the VNCS can reduce the chances of variety name conflicts and potential FSA violations.
-
Plant Variety Protection [ams.usda.gov]
It takes many years to develop a new plant variety. The Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) works with plant breeders to protect their intellectual property for 20-25 years. Certificate owners have rights to exclude others from marketing and selling their varieties, manage the use of their varieties by other breeders, and enjoy legal protection of their work.
-
Biotechnology Permits [aphis.usda.gov]
The Animal Plant and Animal Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation, interstate movement, or environmental release (i.e., outdoor field trials) of certain genetically-engineered organisms that may pose a plant pest risk.
Open-access Research Publications
Seeds and Germplasm
Plant Breeding
Seeds and Plants in History
Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalogs
The USDA's first economic botanist, Percy Leroy Ricker, began collecting catalogs in 1904. There are now more than 250,000 American and foreign catalogs in the collection dating back to the late 1700s.
Browse the collection online, or view NAL's Seeds in the Stacks [youtube.com, 34 min.] for a behind-the-scenes tour.
The image shown is the 1890 Annual Seed Catalog from John Gardiner and Co.
Rare Books - Medicinal Plants
Medicinal plants have a recorded use dating back to 3500 BC. Most of the major ancient civilizations (i.e., Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greek, Roman, Indian, and Arabic) exploited their properties, but it wasn’t until the Middle Ages when botany and medicine became closely linked. Modern medicines are often rooted in plant chemistries.
The image shown is from the USDA, NAL Special Collections: Matricaria Chamomilla Plate 155 by Robert Bentley, 1880.
USDA Pomological Watercolors
In 1887, the USDA Division of Pomology began hiring artists to render illustrations of fruit varieties for lithographic reproduction in USDA articles, reports, and bulletins. Use of color lithography was critically important to enable the farmer to visualize and comprehend the subjects and principles covered in a particular publication.
The image shown is Prunus persica Crawford by James Marion Shull.
Information Products and Tools
-
SEEDS The Yearbook of Agriculture 1961 [archive.org]
Learn about seeds in this historic volume that contains the expertise and writings of scientists, researchers, plant breeders, seedsmen, economists, production specialists, seed producers, and administrators.
-
150 Years of Research at the United States Department of Agriculture: Plant Introduction and Breeding [PDF, 32 pages]
Griesbach, R.J. 2013. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
-
PLANTS Database [plants.usda.gov]
This USDA database contains native and naturalized plants of North America and all additional U.S. territories.
-
GRIN [ars-grin.gov]
The USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network provides information on national collections of animal, microbial, and plant genetic resources (germplasm).
-
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases [phytochem.nal.usda.gov]
Dr. James Duke was a USDA botanist and a leading authority on medicinal herbs. This database is one of the world's leading repositories of ethnobotanical data and houses information on plants and their chemicals, bioactivity, and ethnobotany.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does the USDA provide free seed to the public?
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) provides free samples of germplasm only to scientists, geneticists, and plant breeders - as sources of valuable traits they can incorporate into new crops. PGRU is dedicated to the preservation of germplasm (genetic resources) of selected crop plants and the breeding and improvement of apples. Preservation of plant germplasm is essential for sustaining and improving food production.
Where can I get seeds or plant materials if I'm not a researcher or professional breeder?
Many retail seed companies exist for different seed types (e.g., vegetables, flowers, traditional, heirloom, organic, etc.), but it is always a good idea to ensure that they are an Accredited Seed Source [usda.gov], so you expect "true" seed as advertised.
Check for seeds and plant materials at retail outlets, local garden supply stores, nurseries, or feed stores. Visit farmers co-ops or local seed swaps. Research and order seeds through online sources or from seed catalogs.
Seed Libraries:
Your local library may also be a seed library [communitynetwork.org]. There are now over 500 seed lending libraries open worldwide. If you don't have a seed library nearby, check into starting one.
Co-op Research and Extension Services:
Check with the local Co-op Research and Extension Services [extension.org] for information and availability of plants and plant products in your local area. View a list of Extension Institutions by state [landgrantimpacts.org].
Does that plant belong here?
- NAL's invasivespeciesinfo.gov provides information and links to resources about invasive species.
- EDDMapS - Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System App [eddmaps.org], designed by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia, aggregates data from other databases and organizations as well as volunteer observations to create a national network of invasive species and pest distribution data that is shared with educators, land managers, conservation biologists, and beyond. All data is reviewed by verifiers prior to appearing on maps and in data queries to ensure all data is accurate. The data is made freely available to everyone.
- Wild Spotter App - Mapping Invasives in America's Wild Places [wildspotter.org], developed by the University of Georgia, USDA Forest Service, and other partners, empowers the public to help find, map, and prevent invasive species in America's wilderness areas, wild rivers, and other natural areas.
Where can I read more on plant breeding and the seed industry?
GRIN-U [grin-u.org]
A collaboratively developed site providing freely available education and training content on genetic resource conservation and use.
Libraries:
Check with your local library for books on plants and seeds. They can also assist in borrowing materials from the USDA National Agricultural Library.
Items to Get You Started
Plants
- Quattrocchi, Umberto. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2000. Print.
- Quattrocchi, Umberto. CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012. Print.
- Platt, Karen. Plant Names A-Z: The Complete Guide to Using the Correct Plant Names. 1st ed. Jan. 1999. Sheffield: K. Platt, 1999. Print.
- Pell, Susan K, and Bobbi Angell. A Botanist’s Vocabulary: 1300 Terms Explained and Illustrated. First edition. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2016. Print.
- Rehm, Sigmund. Multilingual Dictionary of Agronomic Plants. Dordrecht; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994. Print.
Seeds
- Barstow, Megan et al. The Book of Seeds: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World. Ed. by P. P. (Paul Philip) Smith. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2018. Print.
- USDA Economic Research Service. Expanded Intellectual Property Protections for Crop Seeds Increase Innovation and Market Power for Companies [ers.usda.gov]. Amber Waves, 2023.
- Hanson, Thor. The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, & Pips, Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History. New York: Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2015. Print.
Prefer a Video?
-
Storing Precious Seeds [youtube.com]
With concrete walls that can withstand a tornado, rooms kept at arctic temperatures, and seeds that are 100 years old, the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (NLGRP) houses the world’s largest collection of genetic resources gathered under one roof.