Seed Bank Description

The collection contains some 56,000 accessions belonging to more than 170 genera and over 800 species (a fully detailed, real-time updated report can be found at the page “MGD Statistics”). Over 13,000 samples have been directly collected through time by exploration teams of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (formerly the Germplasm Institute), while others have been acquired from other Institutions through exchange activities.

The whole collection is currently under re-organization in new sliding rack cabinets within refrigerated rooms (see below). Therefore, the total number of accessions available upon request may vary. However, more than 28,000 accessions have been already stored in the new cabinets and are fully available upon request.

The workflow of the activities carried out for the seed bank management.

Facilities and Equipments

The seed bank is endowed with refrigerated rooms at 5 °C, 0 °C and -20 °C, where more than 14,700 kgs of seeds are stored (see the page “MGD Statistics”). Here is the list of the main facilities available at the MG seed collection in Bari:

• 1 refrigerated room kept at -20° C for long-term storage
• 2 refrigerated rooms kept at 0 °C and 35% relative humidity for medium-term storage (“active” collections)
• 2 refrigerated rooms kept at 5 °C and 35% relative humidity for short-term storage (temporary material or material under processing, etc)
• 1 refrigerated rooms kept at 5 °C for research materials

The equipment includes also vacuum machineries for the preparation of sealed, airtight cans.

Seven additional conservation rooms with similar characteristics (plus an additional dehumidification room at 10-20 °C and 7-15% relative humidity) are also available in Valenzano (Bari).

Seed conservation

Seeds maintained at 0-1 °C (approx. 8,700 kgs, overall) are stored in about 100,600 small paper bags, while those at -20 °C (approx. 6,100 kgs, overall) are stored in about 21,600 airtight-sealed cans, totaling over 122,000 items. All the material is lined up on labelled shelves within dark, refrigerated rooms and managed through advanced software facilities. The following table summarizes the main features of the MG seed collection (for a fully detailed, real-time updated report, please visit the page “MGD Statistics”):

The small paper bags used for short-term seed conservation (right), the airtight-sealed aluminum cans used for long-term conservation (center), and the interior of a refrigerated room with the new sliding cabinets/shelves (right).

Preparation of long-term storage cans before air-tight sealing in the lab of Valenzano (Bari).

Wheat accessions during dehumidification (10-20 °C, 7-15% relative hunidity) in Valenzano (Bari).

Field propagation

All the accessions included in the MG seed bank are periodically refreshed through field multiplication/propagation according to the species’ requirements and storage date in any of the following experimental sites:

• Gaudiano (PZ),
• Metaponto (MT),
• Policoro (MT),
• Valenzano (BA)

For experimental and field tests, the soil is ploughed, fertilized, irrigated and covered with protecting nets following international standard procedure. Spikes/seeds are then collected, photographed and threshed whenever needed. Samples are finally weighed and put in suitable bags for the de-humidifying chamber before medium-long term storage following strict international protocols.

Following is a brief summary of the propagation activity carried out in the period 1973-2015 (see also “MGD Statistics” for more recent updates):

Seed material (wheat, barley, chickpeas, etc) maintained in the dehumidification room in Valenzano (Bari) before long-term storage.

Accessions of wheat (Triticum spp.) during field multiplication in Valenzano (Bari).

Barley spike before collection in the field multiplication in Valenzano (Bari).

Snapshots

Plowing before seed sowing at the experimental site of Valenzano (Bari).

Personnel at work at the experimental site in Valenzano (Bari).

Sowing of accessions in the multiplication cropfield at the experimental site in Valenzano (Bari).