A Most Remarkable and Prolific Plant Breeder Develops Spineless Cactus for Fruit and Edible Pads
THE BEGINNING
(1849-1926) Burbank's life follows the trajectory sometimes noted with such rare, unique and interesting individuals -- No formal education, starting out with nothing, risk taking, a sense of practicality, progressiveness, and a purposeful vision of existing potential -- Leading to great success and fame, extreme productivity, service to humanity, and a deep and spiritual understanding of life. All while remaining very humble.
During the course of his work, over 800 unique and improved fruits, vegetables, spineless cactus, flowers and other plants were developed for commercial and home use. One hundred years later many are still in wide use today, including many plums, and the Idaho potato among many others, demonstrating an enduring legacy. Burbank was deeply influenced by Darwin's 1868 work, The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, which formed the academic basis of his later practical work.
In his early twenties (1871), the Irish potato famine was fresh in memory, and new blight resistant American varieties were needed. Burbank developed an improved and blight resistant variety of the Russet potato in his native Pennsylvania, known as the Burbank or Idaho potato, still used widely today. Selling those rights for $150, he saw his future in Sonoma County, California and traveled there, arriving with almost nothing in the small town of Santa Rosa. In time, and with great effort, a fruit tree nursery was started, and plant breeding experiments began in quantity. A larger experiment farm was also established in nearby Sebastopol. It was fortuitous timing, as California agriculture and orchards were quickly developing, requiring new and improved varieties.
His experimental gardens and original home still exist in Santa Rosa, and are open to visitors, operated by the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens Association. The experiment farm in Sebastopol is also open, operated by the Western Sonoma County Historical Society.
PLANT BREEDING METHODS
Burbank brought plant breeding into the modern realm, and being an energetic and motivated independent operator, was able to achieve quick and great progress in development, testing, and introduction of new plants. In his time, Luther Burbank was well known internationally, and his name was a household word across the country. Every year, farmers and gardeners waited patiently for his new and exciting introductions to be released. Through the 1960s his achievements were still taught in schools, yet sadly, most in younger generations do not know of him at the present time.
His work centered on two simple methods: Selection and hybridization. Selection is a process that farmers traditionally used whereby the seed from the best specimens are saved for planting the next season. In this manner slow improvement takes place year after year in what is termed artificial selection, similar to the evolutionary process of natural selection. The innovation that Burbank introduced lies in the great numbers of seed that were planted in each generation, keen observation of each offspring, and the immediate recognition and careful selection of desirable characteristics. The seedlings with the strongest desired trait would be selected, and their seed once again planted with traits again selected for many generations, until the exact desired traits are produced. In this manner the spineless cactus was developed starting with spiny Opuntia cactus, over many generations of selection for the less spiny trait.
Hybridization is the cross pollination (genetic mixing) of two varieties usually within the same species. Hybrid seed generally does not produce consistent traits in the first generation. Using the knowledge of Mendellian genetics, Burbank was able to overcome this difficulty and produce true seed of varieties with improved and desired blended characteristics.
Burbank would sometimes graft the seedlings onto a mature root stock in order to speed up the maturation process to see his results more quickly. Due to his international fame, was received a constant stream of plant material for testing from around the world, some of which went on to become established varieties.
SERVICE AND PHILOSOPHY
Burbank had a true sense of service to humanity, beyond the task of producing new varieties of useful plants. For example, having developed the spineless cactus meant it could be used as fruit, vegetable, or fodder, and grown in highly marginal environments with dry, rocky soils. Seeing the vast potential for poor, developing countries, he sent the best and most productive spineless cactus varieties around the world, where they are still established today. The spineless Opuntia cactus sent to India in the early 1900s is still widespread there. It is an extremely vigorous variety, possibly being his Texas Feeder selection (See photo in Gallery).
Luther Burbank was advanced for his time, advocating open education for children, equality, and interracial marriage in 1906, decades before it was legal in California. He was very interested in deeper philosophical thought and spiritual belief, both Western and Eastern, and was generally skeptical and questioning. He was in touch with many industrial and other dignitaries of the period, including the most famous botanists, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Paramahansa Yogananda (see Gallery).
A hundred years later we find ourselves facing the many problems of monoculture agriculture which uses a very limited number of species and varieties. The lack of genetic diversity and limited number of crops is a dangerous combination, as a new pest or disease can destroy a portion of the food supply. This has been noted in many instances, and is occurring more frequently, such as the devastation of the Florida citrus and avocado industry by emerging diseases.
THE NEXT GREAT PLANT BREEDER
Thus the same potential that existed in Burbank's time is still present, and is waiting for the next individual with foresight and energy to take up the cause in selecting new useful varieties to benefit humanity. This can be accomplished in any climate, without expensive tools or materials, and a multitude of plants and crops still have much need for improvement and local adaptation. Every existing species and variety can be improved for desired traits. A wealth of plant material and potential new crops is available around the world and can now be ordered online, greatly facilitating the process of collecting and testing, compared to Burbank's time. Large amounts of online information is also readily available, making the task now easier than ever.
Education, background, age, and location are not important to carry out this task, only a strong interest in plants, and a desire to manifest your vision for the benefit for humanity. As Burbank had no children and did not train anyone to carry on his work, a hundred years later we are still waiting for the next great citizen plant breeder. Unfortunately, infatuation with technology causes us to forget the simple, inexpensive, and proven solutions available to solve the worlds basic problems. For those who see the vast potential and feel moved to carry on this crucial work in a critical time, please contact us.
Simple low tech solutions -- Localized plant breeding, clean water, Moringa for nutrition, simple sanitation, and using Neem for malaria prevention, in themselves, would save tens of millions of lives per year in impoverished areas of the world.
MORE INFORMATION:
An extensive collection of Burbank's life and work
Burbank, Luther, 1849-1926 Luther Burbank: his methods and discoveries and their practical application (1914), 12 complete volumes digitized for public use.
A 2006 article assesses Luther Burbank’s work in the Journal of Heredity.
An extensive article on Burbank's attempt to create a new cactus industry in the early 1900's.
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