The biologist gave tips on recognizing fake planting materials

When buying planting materials, it is important to pay attention to the description of the variety, packaging and realistic characteristics, as unscrupulous sellers often use misleading information. Roman Oparin, Associate Professor of the Department of General Biology and Bioecology at the State University of Education, told Izvestia on March 27.

According to the expert, the assessment of the quality of planting material should be based on a comparison of the declared characteristics with the biological capabilities of plants and data from official registers.

"Miracles do not happen if they contradict the laws of nature. "Black Strawberry" is a classic example of photomontage: garden strawberries do not have mechanisms for synthesizing pigments for truly black coloring. What is sold under this name is either the usual maroon varieties, or computer graphics," Oparin said.

As the biologist emphasized, descriptions using vague or pseudoscientific formulations, as well as the lack of specific characteristics of the plant, should also be alerted. Such signs include indications like "garden exotics", "mystical hybrid".

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Unrealistic images and promises that contradict agricultural technology are an additional signal of unreliability. For example, photographs of tropical plants can be used to sell supposedly frost-resistant crops, and growing a fruit tree from a single seed without describing the conditions often has no scientific justification.

"If the seller simply writes "blue orchid", "black strawberry" or "red giant watermelon", but does not indicate the Latin name of the genus and species, as well as the originator of the breeding achievement, this is a serious reason to be wary and refuse to buy," the specialist emphasized.

The expert also noted that instead of accurate indicators, sellers often use general epithets such as "productive", "huge" or "frost-resistant", without specifying specific parameters, which contradicts the scientific approach. As a recommendation, he advised to focus on official sources and trusted nurseries, as well as take into account the physiological limitations of plants.

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On February 26, Andrey Tumanov, Chairman of the Moscow Horticultural Union, gave advice to summer residents on spring seedlings. He noted that a common mistake of novice summer residents is planting garlic, bought at the market or leftover from food, which often leads to a bad result.

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