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I bought my seeds for planting. I’ve made my containers for gardening. Now I’m all set to start my garden. Only problem is my container is at my friends house, and I keep forgetting to take it home with me. It’s a good thing that the seeds I bought are already preserved. I remembered how I could preserve the seeds myself from earlier research. While the methods I learned about can preserve seeds for years, there are places where they preserve it for hundreds to possibly thousands of years – seed banks.
[Image source:https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/08/18/seed-bank-advantages-lost-fog-anti-gmo-war/]
What exactly is a seed bank? Well, it’s a location that stores seeds, up to millions of seeds, to help preserve genetic diversity. The seeds are stored in very dry conditions at low temperatures. Seeds are labeled, sorted, and stored to keep the seeds alive and survive years longer than your standard storing.
[image source: http://fpdcc.com/seed-banking-with-the-cbg/]
The oldest seed bank was established in Russia in 1921, Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry. Nikolai Vavilov, a botanist and genetics, played a huge role in its establishment and was the headmaster from 1924 to 1936. He was best known for identifying the centers of origin of cultivated plants. This seed bank was even able to withstand destruction from WWII.
[Image source: https://valesjolie88.wordpress.com/san-pietroburgo-2/musei-e-monumenti/]
One of the most recognized seed bank is the Millennium Seed Bank. It is located in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Currently has a mission to conserve 25% of the world’s Plant species by 2020. It holds the record for being the world’s largest seed bank. Open year round to visitors who wish to witness the process of preservation.
[Image source: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/millennium-seed-bank]
Last we look at one of the most isolated seed bank, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. This Seed bank was made to withstand both natural catastrophes as well as war. It’s even located inside an abandoned coal mine. If ever the bank were lose power, the seeds would remain in the freezing conditions. This seed bank contains the world’s largest collection of crop diversity.
[Image source: https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/]
The more I researched about seed banks the more intrigued I became. In the future I think I’ll do a deeper dive into Svalbard and MSB. Did you know about seed banks? Do you have any suggestions on topics that I would find interesting? Or do you have any topics you wish to know more about? Please let me know in the comment sections below.
Sources:
https://www.kew.org/science/collections/seed-collection
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/svalbard-seed-bank
http://fpdcc.com/seed-banking-with-the-cbg/
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/seed-bank4.htm
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/millennium-seed-bank
https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/
