Seed Conservation Techniques

Participants on the Seed Conservation Techniques course 2006 (Photo:Mark Ochtman)

The Seed Conservation Techniques (SCT) course, for graduate scientists and professionals directly involved in seed conservation programmes, is held every other year in September. The 3-week residential course focuses on the practical implications of recent advances in seed biology and provides training in collecting, cleaning, drying, storage and viability testing of seeds of wild species. It includes the theoretical background of seed moisture relations, seed storage behaviour, germination and dormancy, prediction of seed storage life, together with theoretical and practical aspects of seed bank management and seed bank design and potential uses of ex-situ seed collections in restoration ecology, species re-introduction and sustainable use initiatives. The course includes a written assessment and successful candidates are awarded a Certificate in Seed Conservation Techniques.

Michael Eason

Michael Eason, from USA partners Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (LBJWC), attended the SCT course in Sept 2004 and has since been actively involved in training volunteer seed collectors. He writes:

"I found the course thoroughly enjoyable. Prior to the course I was new to the seed collecting game and I learned quite a bit from the course - what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. I passed up many collections, thinking the population was not large enough. Since the course we have gone back to those populations and made collections from several of them. I still keep in touch with several of the partners from Australia and still have the hope that I will make it to Australia one day to assist in one of their collecting trips.

After completing the SCT course we were able to develop a "mini" seed conservation workshop for our volunteers at LBJWC. The volunteers absolutely love this program.  They feel they are making a difference and enjoy the opportunity to travel to different areas of Texas in order to collect seed".

Livhuwane Nkuna

Livhuwane Nkuna, seed collector from RSA partners, the South African National  Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), attended the SCT course in Sept  2002 and has since coordinated the seed collection programme in Northern and central parts of South Africa. He says:

"Learning the seed conservation techniques at the course not only gave me new skills in handling seeds, but having those skills gave me the confidence to plan and carry out collection trips.

Meeting the other partners from various countries was good fun and I learnt a lot from them too. I still keep in touch with Oble Neya from Burkina Faso.

The teaching at the course was very clear, although it would have been good to have more time on each topic. I was really glad to learn such a wide range of practical techniques at the SCT course, its just a shame that once back in South Africa there are not the same opportunities to use some of the laboratory techniques. It would be nice to practice, remember and apply them more regularly.

Part of my work now involves training students and new staff in seed conservation methods, so I regularly have to tell people about the work of the Millennium Seed Bank project. The SCT course was brilliant preparation for this.

I enjoyed my time in the UK and it would be good to return and see more of the country."