Start Your Seed Bank: A Potent Tool for Farmers and Gardeners to Collaborate in Managing Seed Diversity

The environment on Earth is ever-changing. Extreme weather patterns, over-exploitation of the ecosystems, habitat loss, and human negligence continuously threaten biodiversity. Plant types, including food crops and historic heirloom seed species, are being preserved with the government’s aid of conservation measures, including the establishment of seed banks and exchange programs.
Constant genetic degradation and loss of agricultural biodiversity; difficulty obtaining locally and organically suited seed through the market.  To maintain genetic diversity, seeds are kept in a seed bank. It is a particular kind of gene bank. Most seed banks are funded by the government, and seeds are typically made available for public research.

However, you can also build your seed bank for your farm or home garden if you’re interested in doing so. A potent tool for farmers and gardeners to collaborate in managing seed diversity is seed banks, which could offer organic varieties and heterogeneous material to farmers looking for cultivars suited to local conditions. Farmers’ selection, production, and management of seeds could be a collective action in which shared actions allow them to face technical problems and find new solutions.

How to Start a Seed Bank?

You must choose the seeds you wish to save before you can begin a seed bank. I advise preserving the seeds of popular fruits and vegetables in your communities and replacing them with less popular types for “just-in-case” use. Once you have begun to accumulate your fruit and vegetable seed stock, it is a good idea to collect seeds for grains as well.

Open-pollinated heritage or self-pollinated seeds (such as those from tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, okra, wheat, rice, maize, soybeans, etc.) are the simplest to preserve. Because hybrid seeds are frequently sterile or develop characteristics that differ from those of the parent plant, saving them is not advised.

Start a  Seed Bank With Seeds From Your Field or Garden:

Now is the time to begin preserving seeds from your farm/garden. This is a terrific method to save money for the long run and the garden’s subsequent seasons. Selecting seeds from healthy plants is important, and you should collect the developed seeds close to the conclusion of the growth season. If you don’t adequately preserve the seeds, they won’t even survive until the following growing season.

For a view of preservation methods, just scroll down a little. Generally speaking, seeds preserved from a field or personal garden can last up to three years.

Start a Seed Bank From Locally Grown Fruits, Veggies, & Grain Crops:

• If you don’t have your own garden or field, you can visit your local farmer’s market. Seeds can be saved from fruits and vegetables cultivated by other farmers in the same way that you would store seeds from your garden.
• However, you should be aware of how the crops were grown and the precise variety of each so that you only save seeds that meet your needs.
• The problem with this approach of seed saving for your seed bank is that the fruits and vegetables were likely not harvested as mature plants at the end of the growing season. When using this method, you must exercise caution to avoid ending up with a seed bank full of unviable seeds.
• Label your seed packs properly and keep them organized so you always know what you have on hand.

Please Note:

• A seed bank ought to include distinct spaces for collecting, washing, and storing seeds. There must be a well-defined path for entry and departure.
•  To prevent infection, good hygiene and frequent alcohol-based surface washing is crucial 
• Even the most basic equipment can be used to operate a seed bank.; —- Plastic buckets and containers, a vacuum packing machine, a weighing scale, and sieves with mesh suitable for the seed being handled are the bare minimum.

How to Prepare Seeds for Storage?

• Wet seeds are those that are found within fleshy fruits and vegetables. When “wet” plants fall to the ground in nature, they ferment and rot. Because we are effectively taking these plants from their natural fermentation, we must replicate it if we want the seeds to be viable in the future.
• We can simulate natural fermentation by extracting as many seeds as possible from the fleshy material and immersing them in a pail or bowl of water for 2-4 days. During this time, the seeds will undergo fermentation, which will distinguish good seeds from bad seeds while also removing germination-inhibiting elements like viruses and mold.
• You should notice that the good seeds sink and the bad seeds, mold, and pulp float to the top. After fermentation, remove the excellent seeds and completely dry them. You can now place them in the freezer to ensure that any remaining pests are eliminated.

Dry seeds are found on plants without a fleshy covering (beans, peas, peppers, herbs, etc.). Allow the seeds to dry out as much as possible while still on the plant. They can be dried in a single layer in a dry room or in a solar oven. You can now remove the pods and other outer coverings, shells, or chaff. If you have plants with small seeds, like herbs, place the plant’s head in a bag and shake. The bag will catch the seeds that fall out.

How to Store Seeds for the Long Term?

• When starting a seed bank, you need to ensure that your storage containers keep moisture, bugs, and rodents out.
• Use airtight containers, such as mason jars.
• Add silica gel or powdered milk wrapped in cheesecloth to help absorb any moisture that may enter the container.
• Label seed containers clearly to ensure you know what you’re planting.
• Properly name your seeds and utilize pre-made seed pack labels.
• Store your labeled seed containers in a cool, dark, and dry location.
• The optimal temperature and relative humidity for storage are less than 15°C and 40%,   respectively.
• Seeds that lose their capacity to germinate quickly should be kept below  4°C.

Test Seed Viability Before Planting:

Before planting saved seeds, lightly cover them in a damp paper towel. Place them in a plastic bag with a little air hole in a warm, well-lit area. If they begin to sprout, they are viable and ready to sow.

If you want to plant more seeds than you can fit on this paper towel, simply use this process with 10 seeds to estimate germination rate. For instance, if only 4 out of 10 seeds sprout, the germination rate is 40%. If you plant 9 sprouts, you will have a 90% germination rate.

Data Management of a Seed Bank;

• Every seed that enters and exits the seed bank needs to be noted.
• Noting the seed’s origin, local name, grower, and harvest year is crucial.
• Data can be stored digitally or on paper; however, both are preferable.
• The Standard Material Transfer Agreement should be used for seed that is distributed outside of the seed bank.

Read further:

Vegetable Seed Conservation for the Home Gardens

Raising Seedlings and Nursery Care for Cole Crops and Fruit Vegetables