Conserving orthodox seeds of globally threatened plants ex situ in the Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK: the status of seed collections

A comprehensive review of orthodox seed collections from globally threatened plants stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, reveals that while these collections exhibit reasonable quality and physiological status, they face significant challenges. Only a third of taxa and one-fifth of collections contain over 5000 viable seeds, with many suffering from low genetic diversity due to limited sampling during initial harvests. Despite this, viable seeds generally maintain good germinability and viability post-storage, though average germination rates fall below 85%. The study analyzed 523 collections spanning 67 countries and 9 biogeographic regions, highlighting disparities between wild species—especially rare or threatened ones—and domesticated crops. It also identified suitable germination protocols for 165 taxa, offering practical insights for global conservation efforts.

Liu, U., Cossu, T. A., Davies, R. M., Forest, F., Dickie, J. B., & Breman, E. (2020). Conserving orthodox seeds of globally threatened plants ex situ in the Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK: the status of seed collections. Biodiversity and Conservation, 29(9-10), 2901–2949. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-02005-6