Historic collections of biological material are important genetic resources for taxonomic, evolutionary and historical research. In this paper we describe a seed collection dating from 1862 to 1918 maintained at the Swedish Museum of Cultural History. The collection contains over 3000 well-documented seed samples of various agricultural crops, mostly cereals. A subset of 100 samples divided over ten species frequently represented in the collection and a range of ages were tested for germinability and DNA preservation. None of these accessions were found to contain viable seeds. DNA extracted from the seeds was degraded, but the amount of degradation varied between species. DNA quality was evaluated by yield, fragment size and size of amplification product. Quality was highest for DNA extracted from Pisum sativum and Vicia sativa. DNA extracted from Brassica napus, Beta vulgaris and Trifolium pratense was more fragmented, and DNA extracted from Triticum aestivum, Secale sereale, Hordeum vulgare, Avena sativa and Phleum pratense was most degraded. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of ribosomal DNA fragments of up to 700 bp was permitted for most samples in all species. To test whether single-copy nuclear genes could be amplified from the extracted DNA, microsatellite markers were used on the Pisum sativum and Hordeum vulgare samples. Polymorphisms of microsatellite markers were detected between samples for both species. The results show that the 19th-century seed collection can be utilized to infer genetic relationships among obsolete cultivars as well as for other types of genetic research based on sequence or marker analysis.

Multiplying onion (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum-Group), commonly known as shallot or potato onion, has a long tradition of cultivation in Fennoscandian home gardens. During the last decades, more than 80 accessions, maintained as vegetatively propagated clones, have been gathered from home gardens in all Fennoscandian countries. A genetic analysis showed regional patterns of accessions belonging to the same genetic group. However, accessions belonging to the same genetic group could originate in any of the countries. These results suggested both short- and long-distance exchange of set onions, which was confirmed by several survey responses. Some of the most common genetic groups also resembled different modern varieties. The morphological characterization illustrated that most characters were strongly influenced by environment and set onion properties. The only reliably scorable trait was bulb skin color. Neither our morphological nor genetic results support a division between potato onions and shallots. Instead, naming seems to follow linguistic traditions. An ethnobotanical survey tells of the Fennoscandian multiplying onions as being a crop with reliable harvest, excellent storage ability, and good taste. An increased cultivation of this material on both household and commercial scale should be possible.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12231-018-9426-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a perennial plant cultivated for its use in beer production. The plant is dioecious and the female plants produce cones containing substances that enhance the taste and durability of beer. Beer was long an essential part of food supply in Northern Europe, and hop has thus been a very important crop during the last 1000 years. In Sweden, Detta resultat motsäger historiska dokument som beskriver massiv introduktion av humlekloner från kontinentala Europa under 1800-talet och visar att denna import inte ersatte den humle som tidigare odlats. En möjlig bättre klimatanpassning av de ursprungliga svenska humlesorterna och en möjlig primitiv historisk förädling diskuteras.

The relationship between the conservation of plant genetic resources and their culture history is intimate. Consequently, biodiversity research must also take into account historical and cultural factors. An inventory of plants collected from all over Sweden was made with the aim of establishing a national Swedish gene bank for once cultivated hop. Only female hop, which could be regarded as cultivated hop on the basis of history, were selected. In this study, two different inventory methods were used: one based on plant habitat and the other involving the use of historical documents, primarily large-scale maps from the first half of the seventeenth century, used to locate their cultivars today. The documented history of the hop, combined with its biology, is the basis for the methods used. Hop is the only Swedish crop that according to a 1442 law had to be cultivated. The law lasted for over 400 years. Since the hop is a perennial, dioecious plant and only female individuals are cultivated, over time very few genetic recombination events are expected. Today, it is possible to connect and identify living plants using historical documents. The degree of connection between today's living plants and the historical evidence for hop cultivation differ between the two methods.