why are only dry seeds are used for future use
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A seed bank is perhaps the most useful technique for off-site or ex situ conservation of wild plants. Seeds are compact, dormant germplasm packages that lend themselves to storage.
Nature's gift of seed dormancy makes it possible to maintain genetically representative samples of endangered plant populations in 'suspended animation' for long periods. Storing seeds is a relatively inexpensive conservation measure, and takes so little space that millions of seeds can be stored in a small freezer. Anyone can set up a seed bank, even at home.
This seeming simplicity, however, masks some important concerns and scientific questions. The science behind seed banking is still emerging, not always with complete agreement amongst experts. Also, saving seeds has its hidden dangers. Storing seed can create a false sense of security, leading some people to conclude that they have "saved" a species. Finally, the stored seed sample may turn out to be woefully inadequate for the intended purpose.
Despite these and other cautions, we believe that seed banking, done correctly, has a central role in plant conservation. However, it should never be the only action taken to conserve a plant species. Rather, seed banking is one component of the comprehensive approach of integrated conservation strategies, which are rooted in conserving habitat but use all available means to conserve a species. Seed banks are also good sources of plant material for research, when taking seeds from the wild is difficult or undesirable.
In 1983 we set up at the Berry Botanic Garden the first seed bank in the United States for the purpose of conserving the rare flora of an entire region - in this case the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho and N California). The first Curator of the Seed Bank, Julie Kierstead Nelson, was hired under a small grant from a local foundation. She purchased the basic references available at the time, a small chest freezer, a desiccator, and boxes of screw-cap glass vials. Soliciting seeds from botanists in conservation non governmental offices and government agencies, she soon had a respectable collection of seeds of rare and endangered plants of the region.
Nature's gift of seed dormancy makes it possible to maintain genetically representative samples of endangered plant populations in 'suspended animation' for long periods. Storing seeds is a relatively inexpensive conservation measure, and takes so little space that millions of seeds can be stored in a small freezer. Anyone can set up a seed bank, even at home.
This seeming simplicity, however, masks some important concerns and scientific questions. The science behind seed banking is still emerging, not always with complete agreement amongst experts. Also, saving seeds has its hidden dangers. Storing seed can create a false sense of security, leading some people to conclude that they have "saved" a species. Finally, the stored seed sample may turn out to be woefully inadequate for the intended purpose.
Despite these and other cautions, we believe that seed banking, done correctly, has a central role in plant conservation. However, it should never be the only action taken to conserve a plant species. Rather, seed banking is one component of the comprehensive approach of integrated conservation strategies, which are rooted in conserving habitat but use all available means to conserve a species. Seed banks are also good sources of plant material for research, when taking seeds from the wild is difficult or undesirable.
In 1983 we set up at the Berry Botanic Garden the first seed bank in the United States for the purpose of conserving the rare flora of an entire region - in this case the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho and N California). The first Curator of the Seed Bank, Julie Kierstead Nelson, was hired under a small grant from a local foundation. She purchased the basic references available at the time, a small chest freezer, a desiccator, and boxes of screw-cap glass vials. Soliciting seeds from botanists in conservation non governmental offices and government agencies, she soon had a respectable collection of seeds of rare and endangered plants of the region.
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