Ultradry seed storage cuts cost of gene bank

Abstract

Today we are faced with an urgent challenge to organize the efficient conservation of biodiversity. In the case of plants, one way of doing this is to store their seeds in a gene bank. The effective preservation of seeds depends on their moisture content and on the storage temperature, which can present a problem in developing countries where the costs of cold storage are prohibitive. Here we describe a way of storing seeds under ultradry conditions at ambient temperatures which not only improves their longevity and vigour but also promises to be a cost-effective technique for germplasm conservation.