Chapter 20: Collecting and handling seeds in the field

Seed banking remains a cornerstone in the conservation of plant genetic resources. To be successful, it relies on the collecting and banking of high-quality seeds. In 1995 there was relatively little guidance available to seed collectors (especially of wild plant species), who had to make decisions in the field about what to collect and how to handle collected material. Since then, research into various aspects of seed conservation has meant collectors should have a better idea of the storage behaviour and potential longevity of seeds of a target species and the likely maturity status of the collected seeds. Knowledge of the moisture status of the seeds, which can be quickly and easily determined in situ, and of the local climatic conditions, can help inform what to do with a collection immediately after harvest. A particular concern is that, while a relatively small proportion of species were known to have recalcitrant or intermediate seed storage behaviour, there may be many technically orthodox species whose seeds are so short-lived in conventional seed bank storage that alternative storage conditions or even methods of conservation will have to be sought.