Research Project: Germination and Longevity Characteristics of Seeds from US Native Species Collected for the Seeds of Success Program to Support Genebanking and Use

Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research

Project Number: 3012-21000-017-021-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement

Start Date: Jul 25, 2024
End Date: Jul 24, 2029

Objective:
To manage and research collections of seeds of US native species that are part of US Department of Interior's Seeds of Success or Native Seed Strategy program.

Approach:
Seeds originate from collections made by agencies within the Department of Interior. NLGRP receives seeds and stores them using conventional or cryogenic approaches, according to assessed physiology. Initial testing will determine germination requirements as well as seed fill and other quality parameters. A portion of the seeds that have been stored for longer than 10 years at NLGRP will be assessed for changed quality using a number of tests that have been developed by NLGRP scientists. Seeds will be dried using NLGRP standard procedures and packaged in foil-laminate bags. Upon mutual agreement, some accessions may be used in accelerated aging experiments to provide cooperators with approximations of seed longevity for certain species.