How to set up a community seed bank (Liveseed Practice abstract)

Summary

Location: A Community Seed Bank (CSB) should have separate rooms for acquiring seed checking, cleaning and seed storage. Clear entry and exit routes need to be established. Good hygiene and regular surface cleaning with alcohol are important to avoid contamination. Avoid wood or porous material surfaces. For storage ideally temperature should be <15°C and relative humidity <40%. Seed loosing germinability quickly should be stored <4°C.
Equipment: A CSB can operate with very basic equipment. The minimum are sieves with mesh appropriate to the seed being handled, plastic buckets and containers, vacuum packing machine and weighing scale. For prestorage temperature treatments, a deep freezer (-20°C) and an air dryer (e.g. food dryer) are essential.
Data management: All seeds entering and leaving the CSB should be recorded. It’s important to record the origin of the seed, local name, who grew it, harvest year. Data can be recorded on paper or digitally, ideally both. For seed distributed outside the CSB it’s advisable to use the Standard Material Transfer Agreement.