Seed banks are crucial "insurance policies" against the loss of plant genetic diversity, designed to store seeds in a state of dormancy for decades or even centuries. There are more than 1,000 seed banks worldwide, ranging from small local facilities to massive international repositories, which collectively hold millions of crop and wild plant samples
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Where the World's Seed Banks Are Found
Seed banks are located globally, often functioning as part of a network for food security and biodiversity preservation. They can be classified into international, national, and community-level banks.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway): Located on the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, this is the world's most famous "doomsday" vault. It is buried 130 meters inside a mountain, designed to survive natural or man-made disasters, with permafrost providing a natural safety net.
Millennium Seed Bank (UK): Located at Wakehurst in Sussex, this is the largest, most diverse wild plant seed bank in the world. It holds over 2.4 billion seeds from 189 countries.
Vavilov Institute (Russia): Located in St. Petersburg, this is considered one of the oldest and largest seed banks in the world, established over 100 years ago.
National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (USA):Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this facility holds over 500,000 samples and is a major backup for US agricultural genetic material.
CGIAR Gene Banks (Various Locations): Major international banks include the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA, now in Lebanon and Morocco), the International Potato Center (CIP in Peru), and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI in the Philippines).
Southwest China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species (China):Established in Kunming, this bank specializes in wild, endangered, and unique species.
How Seed Banks Carry Out Their Work
Seed banks operate by creating an environment that minimizes metabolic activity, ensuring the seeds remain alive but dormant for long periods.
Collection and Selection: Scientists collect seeds from diverse, endangered, or important agricultural plants. Guidelines ensure that less than 20% of ripe seeds are taken from a population to ensure the local population can still thrive.
Drying (Desiccation): Upon arrival, seeds are dried to 5% moisture content, which increases their lifespan 40-fold. They are placed in drying rooms (around 18°C and low humidity) for several weeks.
Cleaning and Inspection: Seeds are cleaned by hand or machine to remove debris. X-ray analysis is used to check for internal damage or empty, useless seeds.
Storage (Freezing): Seeds are sealed in airtight, moisture-proof containers (often three-ply foil bags) and stored at roughly -18°C to -20°C.
Monitoring and Regeneration: Seeds do not last forever. Seed banks regularly test viability by trying to germinate a small sample. If germination rates drop below a certain level, the seeds are planted, and fresh seeds are collected to restart the process.
Cryopreservation: For seeds that cannot survive drying or freezing (called recalcitrant seeds), they are stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C.
The Purpose and Impact
Disaster Backup: If a national bank loses its samples due to conflict, war, or natural disaster (e.g., the Syrian war damaged the Aleppo bank), they can be restored using samples from Svalbard.
Breeding and Research: Researchers use stored seeds to find traits for drought tolerance, disease resistance, and higher yields.
Conservation: They protect against the threat that 40% of plant species are vulnerable to extinction.