‘Mystery Seeds’ Analysis Proves They’re Not That Mysterious
You might recall about two months ago when a seemingly frantic message was issued by Mike Strain, the Louisiana Ag Commissioner. In his message he reported that scores of citizens across Louisiana had been mailed packets of what were called "mystery seeds." His message centered on the fact that his office was unaware of what the exact contents might be and that it was really important those packages NOT be opened.
Rightfully, the commissioner wanted to err on the side of caution until further testing could be done on those "mystery seeds." And there was such a massive mailing of the seeds, they certainly drew curiosity internationally as over 16,000 specimens were mailed to residents throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Caribbean.
Well finally, the testing has been completed, and it's good news. In a report from the Louisiana Radio Network we learn, “According to our contacts with USDA so far the good news is there have been very few weeds or species containing diseases. We did find tomato spindle virus and evidence of some insects in some of the seeds,” said Strain.
The Commissioner does add that if you received one of those packets, you still shouldn’t handle or plant the seeds and should report receiving any mystery seed packages to Ag and Forestry.
Strain said in Louisiana we’ve received over 400 mystery seed specimens. Nationwide we’ve seen them come in from 44 different countries, and 5,000 species of seed have been identified.