SeedLinked

Over the past year, we’ve been iteratively stress-testing how participatory on-farm trials can support robust GEI analysis, using tomatoes as a pilot at SeedLinked. This work was made possible thanks to our team Ashok Kumar, Erik Kastman, and Hans Boot, and through trials from the ADAPT program at Seed Savers Exchange, internal SeedLinked trials, and USDA seed bank trials made possible by Sarah Dohle. Starting from a simple G + E model (Y ~ Variety + Site), we progressively added climate structure, data quality controls, and season-specific stress metrics. Each step was evaluated empirically, not assumed. A few concrete results from ~2,000 tomato trial observations (2022–2025): • Variety effects alone explained ~8–14% of trait variance, confirming strong genetic signal • Adding climate as a main effect explained only ~0.2–0.4% • Introducing Variety × Climate interactions increased explained variance by ~5–7% • Cleaning and imputing phenology dates with crop-specific bounds increased detected significant interactions by +23% • Moving from full-year climate to season-specific PRISM daily data resulted in a ~16× increase in significant V×Climate interactions (from 1 to 16 detected) The biggest lesson for us: GEI signal is highly sensitive to when climate is measured and how data quality is handled. Season-specific stressors such as freeze-thaw cycles and heat dynamics consistently outperformed composite annual indices. This reinforces a core principle of participatory breeding: community-generated data can meaningfully inform adaptation and variety choice, but only if trust, phenology, and environment are treated as first-class components of the analysis. As Jacob van Etten told us more than five years ago: “You are sitting on top of a gold mine. The day you build the data analysis capacity, you will realize the power of insights shared by the community.” We are now expanding this framework beyond tomatoes into 10 key crops through hundreds of curated trials. If you are a breeder, researcher, or grower working with on-farm or participatory trials and would be interested in giving feedback or pressure-testing these assumptions, we would love to connect. More broadly, this work is a step toward a predictive seed search for specialty crops and niche markets, grounded in crowdsourced on-farm data and explicitly modeling genotype, environment, and stress rather than relying on static descriptions or single-location trials.

The December 2025 issue of Seed World U.S. is here, and it's packed with the stories shaping the future of our industry, and a focus on the upcoming American Seed Trade Association conference! Read the full digital flipbook here: https://lnkd.in/gjrZMBSv Here's what's inside: A Call to Action from ASTA's New Board Chair: Dave Treinen steps into his role as American Seed Trade Association board chair with a clear message: it's time for seed industry professionals to raise their voices. From Capitol Hill to backyard conversations, he's calling on all of us to share agriculture's story and protect its future. https://hubs.li/Q03VQx120 How Technology is Transforming Seed Innovation: We spoke with four industry experts from Corteva Agriscience about how drones, AI, and precision technology are reshaping breeding, testing, and delivery. Today's breakthroughs aren't just about speed — they're about building precision, resilience, and sustainability into every seed. https://hubs.li/Q03VQsn80 Five Drought-Resistant Crops Leading the Way: From sorghum that stays productive through heat waves to rice that thrives in salty soils, these five superstar crops are redefining what's possible in challenging conditions. https://hubs.li/Q03VQtMd0 A Yellow-Seeded Hybrid Making Waves in the Northern Plains: A promising new yellow-seeded hybrid from BASF, bred from hardy Brassica juncea germplasm is showing early results across the Northern Plains. https://hubs.li/Q03VQzjN0 Soybeans Reveal New Pathways for Stress Resilience: Scientists studying soybeans have uncovered a novel breeding approach for stress resilience that could change how we develop varieties across multiple crops. https://hubs.li/Q03VQrQN0 Crowdsourcing the Future of Seed Trials: SeedLinked, USDA, and Seed Savers Exchange are collaborating to lower trial costs, tap genetic diversity, and put data power directly into growers' hands worldwide. https://hubs.li/Q03VQvDh0 This issue captures where the seed industry is headed: more innovative, more resilient, and more connected than ever before!

How do you scale up seed trials while cutting costs and democratizing data? SeedLinked, USDA, and Seed Savers Exchange are collaborating with 1,500 growers to crowdsource phenotypic characterization of underutilized germplasm. The goal: accelerate crop innovation and give power to growers and researchers alike. 🔗 Read more: https://hubs.li/Q03NmMtH0

Seed trials at scale: impact you can measure. In 2025, more than 1,400 growers across 45 states helped us characterize rare USDA and heirloom varieties. Together, they planted 250+ accessions, generating thousands of data points on resilience, yield, flavor, and pest resistance. This grower-powered effort created one of the largest datasets ever shared back to the USDA National Plant Germplasm System (GRIN), making public seed collections more usable for breeders, researchers, and farmers alike, But here’s the reality: this work costs money. On average, it takes about $45 per grower to cover seeds, shipping, digital tools, and expert support for two trials (six seed packets). In the past, federal funding covered these efforts. Now, with declining public support, we must ask—could a community-supported model sustain and grow this work. Think of it like a CSA for seed innovation: small contributions that, together, unlock the diversity hidden in seed banks and bring it back into our fields. Please share your perspective. By working together, we can scale from thousands of trials today to tens of thousands tomorrow—ensuring diverse, climate-resilient varieties reach the hands of growers everywhere. Take our short survey and help shape the future of community-supported germplasm trials: https://lnkd.in/gnEjUj6U #Seeds #DataDrivenAg #CommunityScience #SeedInnovation #SeedLinked

In this episode of GermiNation, we explore the seeds that connect us. Join us at the Seed Savers Exchange annual conference and 50th anniversary celebration, where we sat down with leaders working to preserve and protect seed diversity. ✨ Bonnetta Adeeb – A Founding member of Cooperative Farming Alliance & Ujamaa Seeds, sharing the importance of African Indigenous seeds. ujammaseeds.com ✨ @Nicolas Enjalbert – CEO of SeedLinked, on groundbreaking USDA NIFA research with Seed Savers Exchange and thousands of farmers. seedlinked.com ✨ Linda Black Elk – American Indigenous seed expert, offering wisdom about traditional foodways and ancestral knowledge. natifs.org NĀTIFS.org From ancestral knowledge to cutting-edge science, this episode celebrates the seeds that connect us all. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/edJxSai2 Iowa State University

How Gardeners Power the Future of Seeds: ADAPT × SeedLinked In her latest A Way to Garden podcast, Margaret Roach highlights the Seed Savers Exchange ADAPT citizen science program with Mike Bollinger — a groundbreaking effort to put seed conservation directly in the hands of growers. In the last 10 yrs, ADAPT has invited gardeners nationwide to help evaluate thousands of heirloom varieties for resilience and flavor, building collaborative knowledge as the foundation of adaptation. And in 2019, ADAPT teamed up with SeedLinked to bring this participatory science online, making it easier than ever for growers to share data, photos, and insights. Together, this collaboration has grown into one of the largest decentralized seed trialing efforts in the U.S.: 1,101 growers sent insights in since 2019 591 heirloom varieties tested 55,000 reviews submitted 8,500 images uploaded This success story didn’t stop there. The momentum inspired a new, larger collaboration with the USDA National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Through SeedLinked, 1,500 growers across 45 states are now testing 255 heirloom varieties in more than 10,000 plots—bringing the vast public seed bank to life in backyards and farms nationwide. By combining Seed Savers Exchange’s seed bank with SeedLinked’s digital platform, and now expanding with USDA NPGS, ADAPT shows how community-powered science can keep heirloom diversity alive—not just in seed vaults, but in soil, kitchens, and communities.  As Margaret Roach reminds us, every gardener can play a role in preserving biodiversity and adapting seeds to a changing climate.  Read or listen here: How Gardeners Can Help in Seed Savers Exchange’s Preservation Work:https://lnkd.in/gWFhDPpY

Coming Monday, September 1st is a GermiNation episode you won’t want to miss! We’re taking you to the Seed Savers Exchange annual conference and 50th anniversary celebration for conversations with leaders working to preserve and protect seed diversity: Linda Black Elk – American Indigenous seed expert, sharing stories and wisdom about traditional foodways. Bonnetta Adeeb – Founding member of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance and Ujamaa Seeds, discussing the importance of African Indigenous seeds. Nicolas Enjalbert – CEO of SeedLinked, on groundbreaking research in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) , SeedSaversExchange, and thousands of farmers! From ancestral knowledge to cutting-edge science, this episode celebrates the seeds that connect us all. Monday, Sept. 1st – Listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple, IHeart, YouTube, or Audible Iowa State University

Coming Monday, September 1st is a GermiNation episode you won’t want to miss! We’re taking you to the Seed Savers Exchange annual conference and 50th anniversary celebration for conversations with leaders working to preserve and protect seed diversity: Linda Black Elk – American Indigenous seed expert, sharing stories and wisdom about traditional foodways. Bonnetta Adeeb – Founding member of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance and Ujamaa Seeds, discussing the importance of African Indigenous seeds. Nicolas Enjalbert – CEO of SeedLinked, on groundbreaking research in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) , SeedSaversExchange, and thousands of farmers! From ancestral knowledge to cutting-edge science, this episode celebrates the seeds that connect us all. Monday, Sept. 1st – Listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple, IHeart, YouTube, or Audible Iowa State University

Cover crops are gaining ground—but are we overlooking varietal differences? Most farmers choose cover crop species, but few consider the varieties within them. Just like corn or tomatoes, cover crops vary in traits like vigor, winter survival, and biomass. At SeedLinked, we’re working with partners (Solveig Hanson, Etienne Sutton (Herrick), Ph.D.) across the country to increase breeding effort at low cost, by supporting collaborative trials and breeding of cover crops.  This fall, we’re launching multiple trials, including two for Winter Pea—and signups are still open!  Read the full article below to learn more & get involved. #covercrops #regenerativeagriculture #plantbreeding #soilhealth #SeedLinked #collaboration