A seed bank is a facility for storing seeds to preserve genetic diversity. These repositories hold seeds under carefully controlled conditions to safeguard the genetic resources of various plant species for future generations. This ensures a wide array of plant genetics remains available for different needs.
Why Seed Banks Matter
Seed banks play a role in biodiversity conservation, safeguarding against the loss of plant species due to threats like habitat destruction, pollution, pests, and diseases. Globally, an estimated 40% of plant species are vulnerable to extinction, and seed banks serve as insurance to prevent this. They protect wild and domesticated plant species by preserving their genetic material outside natural habitats.
These facilities also contribute to global food security by preserving the genetic diversity of crops. Over 93% of food seed variety has gone extinct in the past 120 years, highlighting the risk of relying on limited crop varieties. This genetic diversity allows plant breeders to develop new crops more resilient to challenges like drought, flooding, pests, and nutrient changes. Seed banks provide a genetic backup, ensuring traits for increased yield, disease resistance, and adaptability to changing climates remain accessible for agricultural research and development.
How Seed Banks Operate
Seed bank operation begins with the collection of seeds from diverse plant species in the field. Experts and volunteers gather seeds, adhering to rigorous criteria for optimal specimens. Following collection, seeds undergo cleaning to remove debris and impurities, then are dried to a low moisture content, typically around 5%.
Once cleaned and dried, seeds are tested for viability to determine their ability to germinate. This testing is conducted periodically to ensure viability for long-term storage. For optimal preservation, seeds are stored under controlled conditions, commonly at low temperatures (around -18°C to -20°C) and low humidity. These conditions significantly slow metabolic processes, delaying germination and extending lifespan for decades or even centuries. Some seed banks also use cryopreservation, freezing seeds at ultra-low temperatures (around -196°C) to almost completely halt metabolic processes for even longer preservation.
Key Seed Banks Around the World
Over 1,000 seed banks exist globally, varying in size and focus, from international vaults to national and community initiatives. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, often called the “Doomsday Vault,” is a prominent example located deep inside a frozen Arctic mountain in Longyearbyen, Norway. Opened in 2008, it functions as a backup system for the world’s plant resources, storing duplicate seeds from gene banks worldwide under “black box” arrangements, meaning only the depositing institution can access them. The vault holds over 1.3 million seed samples from more than 6,300 species, with contributions from international research centers.
Another major facility is the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom. This project aims to store and protect seeds from over 24,000 global plant species, including the UK’s entire native plant population. Beyond these large-scale efforts, national and regional seed banks, such as the U.S. Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, contribute to preserving diverse genetic material, including significant collections of beans, cassava, and tropical forages.