- The Difference between Orthodox, Intermediate, and Recalcitrant Seed
Christina Walters and Joyce Maschinski - Collecting Seeds from Wild Rare Plant Populations
Joyce Maschinski, Christina Walters, Ed Guerrant, Sheila Murray, Michael Kunz, Heather Schneider, Jim Affolter, Tony Gurnoe, Naomi Fraga, Kay Havens, Pati Vitt, Katherine D. Heineman, and Christa Horn - Splitting Samples for Safety Duplication Storage and Testing
Joyce Maschinski, Christina Walters, Kim McCue, David Remucal, James Ritchie, Evan Meyer, Robert Wesley, Michael Way, Suzzanne Chapman, Ryan Fitch, Rowan Blaik, Kay Havens, Pati Vitt, and Christa Horn - Cleaning, Processing, Drying, and Storing Orthodox Seeds
Christina Walters, Joyce Maschinski, Kay Havens, Pati Vitt, Katherine D. Heineman, and Christa Horn - Curating Small Samples: Increasing the Number of Seeds for Storage and Restoration
Joyce Maschinski, Christina Walters, Kris Haskins, Cheryl Birker, Johnny Randall, Lesley Randall, Kirstie Watkins, Margaret Clark, Joe Davitt, Kay Havens, Pati Vitt, and Christa Horn
Overview
Seeds from Field to Freezer
Part 1 outlines ex situ conservation actions for seeds of species that are capable of being stored at freezing temperatures. These steps are intended to increase the likelihood that the valuable rare species seeds we collect, process, and store have sufficient viability and longevity in storage to be available for future reintroductions to the wild.
COLLECTING
Prepare
- Review species’ details.
- Obtain permission.
- Determine storage potential.
Capture Diversity
- Collect from 50 plants and up to 3000 seeds.
- Collect 5+ populations across the species’ range.
- Maintain maternal lines separately.
- Collect no more than 10% of seed crop in any year and no more than 5 out of 10 years.
- Collect from all individuals if population is extremely threatened.
Document
- Record and share data.
PROCESSING & STORING
Duplicate for Safety
- Divide seeds from maternal lines for curation and storage packages to be held at two facilities.
Keep Seeds Alive
- Evaluate initial seed condition and after years in storage.
- Seed moisture drops when seeds are moved from room temperature to cold temperatures.
- Dry seeds to moisture target that maintains < 25% RH > 10% RH at the intended storage temperature.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Small Collections
- Plan to collect seeds across multiple years.
- Germinate, grow, and collect next generation seeds for storage.