In order to know the importance of a seed bankwe must first know what is it? This is a storage of seeds of plant species that are secured in a space with the necessary conditions for their survival. So now that we know it’s a seed bankyou can know its importance.
One of the main advantages is the little space that they need for storage, therefore many seeds of different species can be collected.
What is the need for a seed bank?
The diversity of the vegetation is decreasing and mostly the seeds they are genetically modifiedThe lack of food is also a product of their deficit. Overpopulation on the planet could also cause a lack of food, too many people in such a small place require more sustenance, that is why it is important preserve a large number of certain species for the solution to this problem.
It is also a way to help the planet, since the task of preserve biodiversity it can also be done through seed storage.
Many species may be in danger of extinction and the way the seed banks are designed, allows them to have a long life timethe temperature must be between 20 ° C, with very little light or in total darkness, each bottle with labels that indicate the name of the species, the specific characteristics of each one and the place from where they were collected.
Natural disasters and man-made disasters at some point may be the cause of the disappearance of some plant speciesas for example is happening here in Spain. exist 570 plants in danger of extinction Due to deforestation when building houses, spaces to practice cultivation and livestock, adding to this the illegal extraction of some of them for trade.
The most convenient solution is to preserve each of these species in a seed bank.
Apart from being something important, you can also mention the interest of human beings in preserving biodiversityso we can mention some of the seed banks found in the world.
How many seed stores are there today?
There are 1.300 seed stores worldwide, with six million species collected.
One of the largest warehouses in the world is the so-called Svalbard Global Seed Chamber, which was built in Norway to preserve seeds from around the world in the event of a catastrophe. Has the capacity to store 2.000 billion plant specimens in seeds for centuries at minus 18 degrees, it is also known as the vault of the end of the world.
Spain is also one of the countries that has been concerned with preserving biodiversity. There are mainly three national horticultural germplasm banksof which two of them are in Valencia and Zaragoza, these are active banks that give and receive seeds. However, the one in Alcalá de Henares is intended for the conservation of seeds.
They also have the Valencian Agrodiversity Conservation and Improvement Center of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (COMAV), the Plant Genetic Resources Center of the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), which is located on the La Canaleja farm in Alcalá de Henares and the Plant Germplasm Bank of the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Guipúzcoa also has a seed bank for conserve plant species they meet the danger of threat.
Having knowledge of everything that has been mentioned above, we can now know why a seed bank is important.
