E-newsletter

Across the MSBP articles this issue come from Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Australia.

Conservation of rare and threatened plant species in Azerbaijan
S.J. Ibadullayeva & A.G. Ibrahimova (Institute of Botany, Ministry of Science and Education, Republic of Azerbaijan)

The wild flora of Azerbaijan is extremely rich and diverse, with more than 5,000 species of higher plants. Azerbaijan's natural vegetation and its flora are exposed to anthropogenic influences, and the number of valuable plant species is decreasing, with some now threatened with extinction. This is gradually having a negative effect on the ecosystem. Our latest research shows that at least 10% of the higher plants of Azerbaijan are rare and endangered. There are many relicts as well as endemic plants of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan which are collected from their natural habitat for use in the production of food, fodder, medicine, spices or decorative items and have thus become rare. To address this, in recent years, the Institute of Botany has been carrying out research on the ex situ protection of endangered plants, as well as developing the intraspecies systematics reflecting the gene pool of those species; studying limiting factors under in situ conditions; including investigating the reasons for the increase of the limiting factors, and ecological assessments. Ecosystem management requires a comprehensive strategic approach, which means studying and protecting the coexistence of land, water, and wildlife, in other words, all living systems.

An important factor for the detection and documentation of rare and endangered plants is the preparation of Red Books and Red Lists. In 2013, the 2^nd edition of the Red Book of the Republic of Azerbaijan (300 plant species) was published. The results of scientific research show that the number of plants to be included on this list may now have doubled. To help identify the species that need protection, monitoring and expeditions are organised in different regions of the country based on lists compiled by Azerbaijani botanists ahead of the publication of the 3^rd edition of the Red Book of the Republic of Azerbaijan, due to be published in 2023. Two further books have already been written - "Red Book of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic" and "Rare plants of Ganja-Kazakh region". In order to preserve these studied species, information about the species is collected and action plans for in situ and ex situ conservation are prepared. It is especially important to study the rich flora and biodiversity of the Karabakh territory, characterised by its climate and landscape diversity. There are 121 rare Azerbaijan and Caucasus endemics found across Karabakh, which is famous for its unique flora but has remained unstudied for 30 years due to conflict. Most of these plants will need to be added to the 3^rd edition of the “Red Book”.

The Institute of Botany and the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership have been cooperating bilaterally for 10 years to protect biodiversity. The main goals of the partnership are the implementation of joint new projects, the exchange of personnel and experience, and joint research on priority areas. So, as a result of currently implemented joint projects, the seeds of approximately 40% of the rare and endangered higher plants included in the 2^nd edition of the Red Book of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been collected. These collections are stored in the Seed Bank of the Institute of Botany and duplicated at the Millennium Seed Bank and are important for the protection of those species in the future and for the implementation of restoration and reintroduction work over the coming years.

Seed Banking Capacity Improvements in Bali Botanic Gardens
Farid Kuswantoro & Putri K. Wardhani (Bali Botanic Gardens, RCPCBGF-BRIN)

Since its opening in 2006, the collections at Bali Botanic Gardens’ seedbank mainly came from garden plants (Lestari & Asih, 2015). Recognising the need to increase genetic diversity for restoration and re-introduction purposes (Rao et al., 2006), collecting wild plant seeds began on Nusa Penida in 2018, and then in Bali Barat National Park in 2019. The seedbank also started to receive seed collections from Bali Botanic Gardens’ flora exploration teams at that time.

However, seed harvest and collection management efforts at Bali Botanic Gardens’ seedbank still did not entirely comply with the standardised seed banking procedures recommended by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. Increasing the capacity of staff at Bali Botanic Gardens was seen as a way to address this condition which might otherwise hamper the seedbank’s conservation effort. The capacity improvement need was highlighted further by the fact that in 2016, Bali Botanic Gardens seedbank had become part of the collaboration between the Indonesian Botanical Gardens Seedbank and the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP).

Staff from Bali Botanic Gardens attended several capacity building activities hosted by the MSBP Kew team. The first was the regional Seed Conservation Techniques course held in Cibodas Botanic Gardens from 25^th - 29^th April 2017 (Figure 1). In the same year, a member of staff from Bali Botanic Gardens attended the 19-day Seed Conservation Techniques training course held at the MSB, Kew. These courses were very beneficial as the material and practical activities were provided directly by the Millennium Seed Bank teams.

Seed banking capacity improvements at Bali Botanic Gardens needed to reach as many people as possible. Transferring knowledge to one or two staff members would not have been practical for the long term as staff at the seedbank are continuously changing. Thus, in September 2020 Bali Botanic Gardens seed banking staff met with others from all Indonesian Botanic Gardens to share and discuss their experiences in seed collection following MSBP standards. As travelling at that time was restricted due to COVID-19, the meeting was held virtually. The meeting gave staff valuable insight into seed and data collection processes to be used during and after field trips. However, confusion and uncertainty remained in the minds of staff as most had never used these processes first-hand.

As a follow up, two seed and data collection practice sessions were conducted in October 2020, with the objective to provide staff with a glimpse of what they would do during the seed collection process. Both sessions were held in Bali Botanic Gardens, first with the Proteaceae collection and then with the Legumes collection (Figure 3). Although the first session was pretty challenging, the second went more smoothly as the staff were already familiar with the procedure and forms that would be needed in the field.

In 2021, nine Bali Botanic Gardens staff participated in a virtual seed banking training session held by the MSBP, in partnership with various stakeholders in Indonesia. For this training, a small number of staff participated together in the office, to support those unfamiliar with virtual meetings (Figure 4).

The training was very beneficial and provided the staff with the basic knowledge needed to maintain collections in the seedbank, including how to conduct seed viability tests, collection data management and other aspects regarding seed collection maintenance. The training also provided an opportunity for the staff to interact with the MSBP team, discuss and clear all confusion regarding seed banking procedures. The training gave staff a much more comprehensive understanding of the seed collection process and know how to maintain their collection in the seedbank.

We hope that the capacity strengthening conducted over the years will improve the standard of the Bali Botanic Gardens’ seed banking efforts in the future. We also hope that by involving a wider group in the capacity building activities, including staff not currently posted at the seedbank and a university student (at the second field practice), we will ensure the longevity of the seed banking efforts.

References

• Lestari, D. & Asih, N.P.S. (2015) Pengelolaan bank biji Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali. Proc. Masy. Biodiv. Indonesia. 1(3): 515-520.
• Rao, N.K., Hanson, J., Dulloo, M.E., Ghosh, K., Nowell, D. & Larinde, M. (2006) Manual of Seed Handling in Genebanks. Biodiversity International, Rome.

Building resilience: Kangaroo Island Seed Production Garden
Bradley Bianco (South Australian Seed Conservation Centre)

The Australian Black Summer of 2019-20 saw the western half of Kangaroo Island, South Australia burnt by intense bushfires. More than 167,000 hectares were affected, largely comprised of remnant bushland, with 83% of the area burnt at high to very high severity. Kangaroo Island, along with the adjacent Mt. Lofty Ranges, is one of Australia’s 15 ‘Biodiversity Hotspots’ – concentrated areas of high biodiversity characterised by elevated levels of endemism.

The team from the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre (SASCC) arrived on the island shortly after these catastrophic fires to assess the post-fire response of some of the island’s endemic and threatened flora and, where possible, collect germplasm for long-term storage at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, South Australia. Sensing the community’s desire to not only restore what was lost during the fires, but also to be better prepared for the next fire event, the SASCC devised the novel concept of a ‘seed production garden’.

A grant delivered through the Australian Seed Bank Partnership, funded by the Commonwealth Government of Australia, was used to develop the Kangaroo Island Seed Production Garden (SPG). The vision is to create an aesthetic garden of genetically diverse, living plant collections that can be used for conservation, restoration and translocation, population supplementation, research and seed banking, and is supported by the local community, benefactors (Paton Family), business (Troppo Architects) and several environmental NGOs (Bio-R, Nature Conservation Society of South Australia). An important aspect of this community-led garden will be to introduce members of the local community and visitors to the island’s threatened flora. Targeted seed production will also bridge an existing gap in the restoration of self-perpetuating populations of many threatened plant species on the island by ensuring the availability of sufficient, genetically robust and sustainably sourced propagules.

The development of the SPG is the result of almost two decades of seed collecting trips to the island by the SASCC team. The island boasts 60 endemic plant species, many of which were already germplasm-banked at the Botanic Gardens in Adelaide at the time of the fire. The SASCC was able to utilise some of this material – often collected when wild populations were larger and most likely had higher levels of genetic diversity – to propagate plants for introduction to the SPG. Excess propagules were also distributed to conservation-minded community members to augment existing populations or to establish new populations.

While the concept of seed production areas is nothing new, the idea of marrying utilitarian seed production with an inviting, aesthetic garden setting may be. Removed from the abstractions of formal reports and scientific literature, viewing a diverse collection of threatened plants up close and in a single convenient location makes the germplasm collection and propagation aspects of plant conservation tangible and hands-on. Rather than traversing dense vegetation to reach an isolated swamp in a remote Wilderness Protection Area at the western end of Kangaroo Island, a volunteer or visitor can witness the splendour of the Vulnerable, midday blooming aquatic Nymphoides geminata (Menyanthaceae), collect seeds from dehiscing fruits and propagate plants for translocation – all just 20 minutes from the island’s major township of Kingscote.

The half-hectare garden has been fenced to exclude browsing kangaroos, wallabies and possums and is landscaped with different soils and water features to match the habitats of the species being grown. On 9^th July 2022 the SPG was officially opened by the State Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, the Hon. Susan Close MP, in the company of dozens of community members. During the opening the first 1,500 plants comprising over 60 threatened and endemic species were planted into the landscaped beds by eager volunteers.

At present, only one quarter of the garden has been planted, with enormous scope for the inclusion of additional species, multiple provenances and in-ground germination research. The SASCC team is now working on harnessing the public interest that the development of the garden has received into a ‘Friends of the Kangaroo Island Seed Production Garden’. This group will have a large ongoing role in the operation of the garden. The SASCC will provide technical guidance, including training volunteers in seed collection techniques, plant propagation and searching for new wild populations of target species. After what was for many Kangaroo Island residents a traumatic event, it has been wonderful to see people’s energy focused towards what will hopefully be a long-lived and substantive contribution to plant conservation in South Australia.

During a visit by MSB coordinators to Indonesia in August this year, they interviewed Dr Dian Latifah about her experiences of how she got into seed banking, her job and what are the challenges for seed banking in Indonesia.

How did you become interested in plant conservation?

Since I was a kid I loved growing plants in our garden, and my parents loved it too. That influenced me to take my BSc in Agronomy at IPB university. I did my BSc thesis on the seed science of rice. Then I applied to LIPI to be a seed scientist working on wild plants. I’ve been doing research on seed conservation since then.

My MSc and PhD were also on seed science, this time on palm regeneration of wild palms in Queensland. I spent 5½ years in Australia.

How has seed conservation at Bogor Botanic Garden (BBG) changed since you began working?

When I started working at Bogor Botanic Gardens, they collected orthodox seeds from the gardens, didn’t measure their moisture content and stored them at room temperature. Our director at the time, Dr Didik Widyatmoko (now he is a research professor), wanted to improve seed bank procedures, so my colleagues the late Mr Sutrisno, Dr Siti Roosita and I wrote a proposal to get state funding for seed bank development. After we got the funding, I searched online to find where I could do training and discovered the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). I contacted the MSB and attended the Seed Conservation Techniques course in 2015, and our partnership developed from there.

Why is seed conservation important to BRIN (Research Centre for Plant Conservation, Botanic Gardens and Forestry at National Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Indonesia) and Indonesia?

At the start, the strategy for ex situ conservation, consisted of living collections and seed banking. Both have pros and cons. E.g., Living collections need more space, but the seed bank only needs a little space, and we can store a much greater diversity of plants. Therefore, we focused on both. We follow GSPC Target 8 that 75% of a country’s biodiversity should be stored ex situ in-country, and seed banking contributes to that. From the start, we have been building the collections through field work, prioritising rare and endemic plants, and those with economic potential, for example, Myristica spp. (nutmeg) and Eusideroxylon zwagerii (ironwood).

A seed bank is a big investment, and we need to show value for money. We do this through increasing collaboration with students, academics and the public.

Indonesia is a very large country, with lots of islands. You have two big seed conservation projects with the MSB. How do you organise your teams to collect from the different parts of Indonesia?

At the start I asked for proposals from my colleagues at the four botanic gardens in Bogor, Cibodas and Purwodadi (Java) and Eka Karya (Bali) and submitted them to Kew. We now have 11 sub-projects covering different geographic regions, aiming to collect over 1,000 species, under the Arcadia Threatened Biodiversity Hotspots project. This project lasts for three years until 2024 and each year we organise field trips to different islands, from Sumatra to Papua. We chose several National Parks and Nature Reserves that have high biodiversity and where we have built up a good relationship with the authorities

What are the challenges for seed collecting in tropical forests?

(Laughs). First, we are dealing with remote areas and challenging weather – it rains a lot so it may limit the time available for seed collecting and reduce access to the areas. There is also a lack of information on fruiting seasons – we may get some advice from the park rangers, but when we arrive the fruits are immature. Then there is often a lack of information on seed storage behaviour on references like the Seed Compendium, other articles, SID and the Wyse predictor – sometimes we are not sure if a species is orthodox or not, and when we try to do storage or germination experiments it seems to be recalcitrant. It is difficult to get enough seeds, up to 10,000. On average, we often can only get from 250 to 3,000. We may only be able to find a small number of trees, often less than five, and the ones we can find may be inaccessible. Finally, we need up to seven different letters and permits with named target species to collect and conserve seeds from protected areas and it may take weeks to get them, so we have to start planning well in advance of each trip.

How would you like the Kew-BRIN partnership developing in the future?

We would like to extend the project in Mt Ciremai National Park, to achieve more significant results. The current project, funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation, is a combination of seed conservation and utilisation for restoration, that involves several parties, including Mt Ciremai National Park, Kuningan Botanic Gardens / Kuningan District Council, BRIN and Kew. The National Park has an ecosystem restoration programme underway, so our project will support this. We can involve Kuningan Botanical Garden as they have nursery skills. BRIN and KEW bring additional technical and scientific resources and help provide training and develop facilities.

The Arcadia project will end in 2024 and we would like to do more research on the seeds we have collected and monitor their viability, to learn more about the seed storage behaviour and longevity. For example, we have found problems with conservation of Begonia seeds, many of them are endemic and also have economic potential as amenity species. We’d also like to do more projects, such as setting up seed hubs in other parts of Indonesia for local seed storage and use.

What is the most interesting plant you're working on at the moment?

Eusideroxylon zwagerii (ironwood) is an important species as it’s endangered and its timber is very high quality and has great economic value. It is known to have recalcitrant seeds, so we have been doing research on its seed storage behaviour and the best method of short-term storage. We can now store its seeds for up to three years!

Mouldy versus infested seeds? Scoring X-rays and germination tests

Can an X-ray detect fungal, bacterial or viral infections in a seed? When should seeds be classified as 'mouldy' or 'infested' in a germination test? Do insect infestations differ from fungal, viral or bacterial infections when scoring germination tests? We asked Sarah, Nicola and Rachael from the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Seed Collections Team to talk us through the differences.

Can you spot seeds infested with fungus on an X-ray? And how should these be scored?

At the seed quality checking stage of seed processing, a seed counted as 'infested' can relate to either insect damage/ presence or a bacterial/ fungal/ viral infection.

Whilst an X-ray cannot always tell us if a seed is infected with a fungus, bacteria or a virus, sometimes it can be seen for example, as a darker grey 'shadow', spreading out across the seed from one point. This often has a vaguely granular texture rather than the pure white of a healthy seed. A seed can also be counted as 'infested' at this stage if the infection is so severe it is clear that the seed is non-viable from the outside. Or for some smaller seeded species, for example with many Scrophulariaceae, the contents can still appear solid on an X-ray. In these cases, you can do a cut-test instead of an X-ray to determine the internal morphology and quality.

The signs of insect infestation to look for on X-rays are tunnels, usually of increasing size, with a cavity at the end where the lava may be (Figure 1a). In some cases, a seed may have been almost entirely eaten by an insect, in which case the seed will appear as almost empty with a few lighter spots of content (likely frass) left behind (Figure 1b). Insect infested seeds also sometimes visibly show exit holes for larva on the outside of the seed coat, for example with some Fabaceae species. However, it should be noted that insect infestation does not necessarily mean that the seed is inviable, it can depend on how much of the seed has been consumed. At the MSB there is a ‘part full’ category alongside ‘full’, ‘empty’ and ‘infested’ for scoring X-rays which can be used if there is some uncertainty as to whether enough of the seed embryo remains (has not been eaten) for the seed to still be viable.

Should those seeds which are black at the end of the germination test be recorded as 'mouldy' or 'infested'?

NB. When you are setting up a germination test, if you have any concerns about the seeds, you can do a cut-test on a sub-sample prior to setting up the test.

At the MSB we use six different categories to classify seeds during a germination test (Table 1). But when you’re scoring your test as you go along or are doing your cut-test at the end, you may have some degree of fungal growth and it is not always clear under which category the seeds should be classified.

'Infested' varies from 'mouldy' in that a seed should be classified as 'mouldy' if you can see signs that there was suitable initial morphology at the start to enable germination, i.e., an embryo was present (Figure 2a). If this is not possible to detect the seed should be classified as 'infested' (Figure 2b). If a seed is classified as 'mouldy' it could suggest that the seeds have either lost their viability over time, there was poor test hygiene, or that the germination conditions were incorrect, e.g., too warm.

Is it possible for fungal spores to spread from one seed to another during storage?

It would be possible for a fungus to spread between seeds during the cleaning process if equipment is not cleaned properly between uses or if the seeds come into close contact with an infected batch whilst drying. Once the seeds are dried and sealed for banking, assuming they are fully sealed, it is less likely for fungal spores to transfer between collections. The other possible source of fungal spores for infection could be the medium used for germination testing, e.g., agar, or from the air whilst setting up the test. If you suspect seeds could be infected with fungal spores, it is possible to sanitise the seeds prior to starting the germination test. This can be done by soaking the seeds in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution, containing a 1% surfactant (Tween 20) for 10 minutes and then rinsing under running water for 1 minute (see Technical Information Note 13a). Once the germination tests are set up, the container they are in should be sealed inside a plastic bag to reduce the chance on contamination (this also helps to prevent moisture loss). In addition, 'mouldy' and 'infested' seeds should be removed from the test as it progresses to limit the influence they have, and tests can be re-plated during the test if fungal growth gets too bad.

Further information on setting up germination tests can be found in Technical Information Note 13a.

Recent publications from across the MSBP:

• McGinn, K.J. (2022) Establishing the National Seed Bank of Wales: collecting, conserving and restoring the Welsh flora. Sibbaldia. 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2022.1889

Daucosma laciniata Engelm. & A.Gray, also known as Meadow Parasol or Meadow Daucosma, is a herb native to Texas and New Mexico in the United States (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2022; USDA, NRCS, 2022). It was first described to science in the Boston Journal of Natural History (volume 6, pg. 211) by Asa Gray in the article “An account of a collection of plants made by F. Lindheimer in the western part of Texas, in the years 1845-6, and 1847-8, with Critical Remarks, Descriptions of New Species” (IPNI, 2022). Digitised versions of the herbarium sheets from this collection are available through the Harvard University herbaria and RBG Kew herbaria.

Daucosma is a genus within the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family, with Daucosma laciniata being the only species of the genus (WCVP, 2022), making it taxonomically distinct. The species has had its genome sequenced as part of the Plant and Fungal Tree of Life (PAFTOL) project (available at: https://treeoflife.kew.org/specimen-viewer/10171).

The species is an annual, flowering between June and July with white umbellifer flowers (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2022). Its current conservation status is G4 - Apparently Secure (NatureServe, 2022a), which means the species is at fairly low risk of extinction (NatureServe, 2022b).

One collection of the species is held at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), donated by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 2005. Since 2006 various germination tests have been performed on the collection without achieving significant germination. However, cut-tests at the end of these experiments revealed that the seeds were still alive, indicating that the perfect dormancy breaking conditions for the species remained elusive, rather than the collection being inviable . In 2019, Kirstine (Germination Assistant at the MSB) set up various tests based on a combination of the best conditions from previous germination test results and WORLDCLIM average monthly temperatures for the area the collection was made. Fast forward 504 days (72 weeks!) and one of the tests reached 92% germination (100% viability after accounting for empty and viable ungerminated seeds). The germination conditions consisted of 4 steps:

• Firstly, 8 weeks cycling at 20°C for 12 hours, then 10°C for 12 hours with 12 hours of light each day.
• Secondly, 16 weeks at 5°C with 12 hours of light a day.
• Thirdly, 14 weeks cycling again at 20°C for 12 hours and then 10°C for 12 hours with 12 hours light a day.
• And finally, 34 weeks cycling at 35°C for 12 hours and 20°C for 12 hours with 12 hours light a day.

This germination protocol still needs to be refined, although this will probably take another year and a half! However, it does show that the seeds are viable, and we have been able to break the dormancy of this particular collection which will allow for the propagation of the plants from seed in the future.

References

• Gray, A. (1850). An account of a collection of plants made by F. Lindheimer in the western part of Texas, in the years 1845-6, and 1847-8, with Critical Remarks, Descriptions of New Species. Boston Journal of Natural History. 6:211. Available online from the Biodiversity Heritage Library website
• IPNI (2022). Daucosma laciniatahttps://www.ipni.org/n/76978-2
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre (2022) Daucosma laciniata. Plant Database. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DALA5
• NatureServe (2022a) https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.131658/Daucosma_laciniata
• NatureServe (2022b) https://explorer.natureserve.org/AboutTheData/Statuses#Global
• USDA, NRCS (2022) The PLANTS Database 06/10/2022
• WCVP (2022) Daucosma https://wcvp.science.kew.org/taxon/30185563-2

This month we spoke with Naomi Carvey, Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP) Data Warehouse Project Officer at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). Naomi has one of the most wide-reaching roles within the Seed Conservation team at the MSB and will have been in contact with many of you. So we thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce the person behind the email address!

What did you do before joining the MSB?

I’ve always had data and systems type roles in my career prior to joining Kew, but in very different industries. My first full-time job after leaving University was pricing flights and holidays for a big travel company, after that I started working in banking in the City of London, including working for several years at the Bank of England – the UK central bank. Before that, whilst I was still in full-time education I spent several years milking cows and helping with wedding catering during weekends and holidays – something quite different!

Why did you join the MSB and what interested you about the role?

While still working in banking and studying GIS I became interested in environmental datasets and applications. I heard about the new MSBP Data Warehouse project first, and through that rather stumbled across the wider work of the MSBP. I thought it sounded like a really interesting and dynamic place to work, and the role seemed to suit my experience and interests well.

What is your current role and what does a typical day look like for you?

I’ve been the MSBP Data Warehouse Project Officer for several years now, helping to gather, improve and secure data from seed collections across the MSB partnership, and to get the data back into the MSBP community. A typical day might involve checking and feeding back on a dataset from an MSB partner, and then uploading those data to the MSBP Data Warehouse online. I might also be updating IUCN red list data or species names, helping colleagues with data analysis or delivering data training.

Can you tell us about something you are proud to have achieved in your role?

Recently I have worked on the design and implementation of processes that allow us to receive herbarium vouchers from MSB partners who do not duplicate their seed collections at the MSB, but share full collection and curation data instead. I have found this work to be very enjoyable and rewarding. Duplicating herbarium vouchers at RBG Kew for seed collections stored elsewhere throughout the partnership really opens up fantastic possibilities for research and collaboration, as well as elevating seed collections to the highest quality standards, maximising collection utility and longevity.

What are some of the challenges you have faced, or think you might face in the future?

Increasingly I feel there is a gap between the fantastic wealth of seed collections, their associated data and new research done around the world, and getting those seeds and their associated knowledge back into living ecosystems. There is some amazing work being done across the MSBP in restoration and on new techniques in habitat management but currently issues around seed supply, a lack of germination / cultivation protocols and the difficulties transporting germplasm across borders are holding this work back. I think plant conservation should be a cycle of gathering collections and knowledge and putting them to practical use, but there are some bottlenecks at the moment. I’d love to get more involved in work to help tackle some of these issues.

Can you tell us about a favourite moment from your work for the MSBP?

Meeting colleagues from other seedbanks across the MSBP is always a highlight – we work with such a fantastically diverse group of people, and it is always great to learn about associated projects, not to mention discovering more about plants! The annual Seed Conservation Techniques (SCT) course is always special and I’ve also been lucky enough to visit some MSB partners in-country. Each visit has been really beneficial, and I have life-long memories of them all. To highlight one, the SCT course held at Cibodas Botanic Gardens in Indonesia in 2017 – the course had a significant impact on the future direction of the collaboration and a large number of people were able to join the training, which was very well organised and held in such beautiful surroundings. Through Arcadia and the Global Tree Seed Bank programme, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) - our MSB partner in Indonesia – is now working on collecting over 1000 species.

What advice would you give somebody regarding their data?

Concentrate on completing any mandatory fields first, and be prepared to invest a significant amount of time on your data at the beginning and during data collection – if you do a thorough job at the start you will save a lot of time and many headaches later on! You will also be able to maximise the longevity and potential future use of your collections. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your colleagues at the MSB - we have a lot of varied experience and resources and we’re here to help.

If you could be one plant, what would you be and why?

I’d be a beautiful, craggy old Yew tree, Taxus baccata, a tree known for its cancer-fighting chemicals, toxicity and folkloric associations with death and resurrection which are sometimes thought of as portals to the underworld. In the UK ancient Yew trees are often found in churchyards and some pre-date the arrival of Christianity. I have fond memories of collecting T. baccata seeds for the UK National Tree Seed project - my first ever seed collecting trip for the MSB which was highly influential for me.

How many seeds should I collect?

How many seeds to collect is a question of balance between making sure you can gather enough seeds for your intended use in the time you have available, while ensuring you do not harm the population from which you are sampling. In general, for a long-term conservation collection, you should aim to collect at least 10,000 potentially viable seeds, but not taking more than 20% of the available mature seed. Population data should be used to guide when more cautious collecting might be necessary, e.g., when making a collection from annual species that produce few seeds. The recommendation to collect 10,000 potentially viable seeds is based on the seed use figures in Table 1, which were calculated from collections of abundant species held at Kew, and is a starting point that can be adjusted for specific projects or collection events. You should also keep in mind the importance of maximising the genetic diversity captured, by collecting randomly from as many individuals (maternal lines) as possible.

The recommendation to collect 10,000 seeds might need to be adapted depending on the quality of the seed you are collecting. You will need to undertake a cut-test to verify the quality of seed from your sample population. Usually you need to cut-test ten seeds. If two of those ten are empty (20%), you can assume that 20% of the seeds you collect will be empty, therefore to collect 10,000 potentially viable seeds you would need to collect 12,000 seeds (10,000 x 1.2). You will then need to calculate again whether it is possible to collect this quantity while still ensuring you are taking no more than 20% of the available mature seed.

In the case of rare and threatened species, what is the minimum sized collection that is useful for a seed bank? There is no absolute threshold but ideally you should aim for a collection of 500 seeds. However, this will not always be possible and it is important to consider other factors, for example:

• does the safe-collecting limit need to be lower?
• how many seeds are available?
• what are the intended end uses of the seed?

In cases where it is not possible to collect sufficient seed in a single visit, repeating collections over multiple years may be an alternative option.

This text was adapted from Technical Information Sheet 02 - Assessing populations, (RBG Kew, 2022).

Recent publications from across the MSBP:

• Carta, A., Fernández-Pascual, E., Gioria, M., Müller, J.V., Rivière, S., Rosbakh, S., Saatkamp A., Vandelook F. & Mattana, E. (2022) Climate shapes the seed germination niche of temperate flowering plants: a meta-analysis of European seed conservation data. Annals of Botany. mcac037. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac037
• Carta, A., Mattana, E., Dickie, J. & Vandelook, F. (2022) Correlated evolution of seed mass and genome size varies among life forms in flower plants. Seed Science Research. 32: 46-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0960258522000071
• Hay, F.R., Davies, R.M., Dickie, J.B., Merritt, D.J. & Wolkis, D.M. (2022) More on seed longevity phenotyping. Seed Science Research. 1-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960258522000034
• Hardstaff, L.K., Sommerville, K.D., Funnekotter, B., Bunn, E., Offord, C.A. & Mancera, R.L. (2022) Myrtaceae in Australia: Use of Cryobiotechnologies for the Conservation of a Significant Plant Family under Threat. Plants. 11(8): 1017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11081017
• Pirie, M.D., Blackhall-Miles, R., Bourke, G., Crowley, D., Ebrahim, I., Forest, F., Knaack, M., Koopman, R., Lansdowne, A., Nürk, N., Osborne, J., Pearce, T.R., Rohrauer, D., Smit, M. & Wilman, V. (2022) Preventing species extinctions: A global conservation consortium for Erica. Plants, People, Planet. First view. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10266
• Rodríguez-Zúñiga, J., Flores-Ortiz, C.M., González-Guillén, M.d.J., Lira-Saade, R., Rodríguez-Arévalo, N.I., Dávila-Aranda, P.D. & Ulian, T. (2022) Cost analysis of seed conservation of commercial pine species vulnerable to climate change in Mexico. Forests. 13: 539. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040539
• Tiloca, G., Brundu, G. & Ballesteros, D. (2022) Bryophyte spores tolerate high desiccation levels and exposure to cryogenic temperatures but contain storage lipids and chlorophyll: understanding the essential traits needed for the creation of Bryophyte spore banks. Plants. 11:1262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091262

Notes on the Begonias of Mt. Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia

Muhammad Efendi, Abidin Ibrahim, Dadang Sunandar, Intani Quarta Lailaty & Vandra Kurniawan (Cibodas Botanic Gardens, Research Center for Plant Conservation and Botanic Gardens, National Research and Innovation Agency)

Begonia is known as an ornamental plant by many plant enthusiasts. It has an interesting shape and colour to the leaves, and also has many varied colours of flowers (Tebitt, 2005). Several species of Begonia have other uses, for example B. comestibilis is used for food (Thomas et al., 2011), B. multangula as a spice, B. muricata (Hartutiningsih et al., 2009; Putri et al., 2019), B. medicinalis (Ardi et al., 2019) and B. baliensis (Hartutiningsih et al., 2018) were reported as potential medicines. These species contain antimicrobial compounds with the potential to be developed as medicinal raw materials.

Mount Slamet is known as habitat of native Begonia’s in Java. A total of five native Begonia have been reported in this area in a previous study (Efendi, 2019). A seed collecting expedition was conducted in the Mount Slamet forest area, Central Java, Indonesia, to increase the number of Begonia seed collections which are stored in the Cibodas Botanic Garden’s Seed Bank. A total of six species of native Begonia were found and collected within the South Slope area of Mount Slamet, namely B. multangula, B. longifolia, B. areolata, B. atricha, B. isoptera and B. muricata. A new location of Begonia isoptera was added to its range distribution from this expedition. Thus, as many as 40% of Java's native species of Begonias are now stored in Cibodas Botanic Garden’s Seed Bank and duplicated at the Seed Bank of the Center for Plant Conservation and Botanic Gardens. Unfortunately, there is a decreasing trend of the B. atricha population in Mt. Slamet caused by over exploitation for ornamental plants.

References

• Ardi, W.H., Zubair, M.S., Ramadanil, P. & Thomas, D.C. (2019) Begonia medicinalis (Begoniaceae), a new species from Sulawesi Indonesia. Phytotaxa. 423(1): 41-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.423.1.5
• Efendi, M. (2019) Begonia alam Kebun Raya Baturaden. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Masyarakat Biodiversitas Indonesia. 5(1): 13-17. Available at: https://smujo.id/psnmbi/article/view/3216
• Siregar, H-M., Purwantoro, R.S., Praptiwi, P. & Agusta, A. (2018) Antibacterial potency of simple fractions of ethyl acetate extract of Begonia baliensis. Nusantara Bioscience. 10: 159-163. Available at: https://smujo.id/nb/article/view/2726
• Putri, N.H.S., Nurdiwiyati, D., Lestari, S., et al. (2019) Aktivitas antibakteri ekstrak tangkai dan daun Begonia multangula Blume. terhadap Porphyromonas gingivalis. Jurnal Biologi Universitas Andalas. 7(1): 51-58.
• Thomas, D.C., Ardi, W.H. & Hughes, M. (2011) Nine new species of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from South and West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 68(2): 225–255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428611000072

Our collaboration with SANBI (The South African National Biodiversity Institute) was one of the first under the global Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP). In over 20 years of working together the MSBP/SANBI team have made more than 6,500 collections, covering more than 4,350 species.

We spoke to Victoria Wilman (Seed Conservation Programme Manager) to learn more about her team's incredible contribution and their hopes and plans.

What influenced you to work in seed conservation?

I used to spend hours hiking in the mountains and visiting South Africa’s National Parks. I loved plants and collected seeds wherever I could. When my grandmother passed away, she left me a small legacy, just enough to kick start my first year of studies. I wanted to do nature conservation, but knowing about the many rare and endangered plants, I decided to study horticulture, to be able to grow these plants to restore them back into the wild. After working in the Eastern Cape and completing my honours degree in Botany a few years later, I applied for a seed collecting position in Cape Town and started at SANBI in 2012. I have loved every minute of it!

How has the global pandemic influenced your work and personal life?

The pandemic stopped all of our fieldwork, and our teams collecting seeds around the country were grounded although some colleagues who live in remote areas continued to collect around their home villages. I have an amazing team, and despite all the Covid challenges, they continued to work extremely hard and remained dedicated to the MSBP project, with the result that we are not far behind our collecting targets.

How do you think SANBI has developed its commitment to Seed Conservation over the past 20 years?

SANBI's commitment to seed conservation is very strong, the seed room at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens (NBG) has changed from a commercial operation to a Seed Conservation Unit servicing the whole of SANBI.

A Seed Conservation Programme is being developed which includes infrastructure for South Africa’s first wild plant seed bank at Kirstenbosch NBG, including dry rooms, a -20°C; freezer, germination and seed processing labs, all due to be completed in early 2023. This exciting project brings together a lifetime’s ambition for me.

The seed conservation programme is well integrated into SANBI’s other directives and many of SANBI’s permanent staff have come through the MSBP programme. Our seed collectors are stationed at four of SANBI’s Botanical Gardens and work together with horticulturists and curators. We work closely with the Threatened Species Programme and Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) who manage volunteers monitoring threatened species, and we also train them in seed collecting for the project.

You have a strong Seed Conservation team at SANBI. Can you tell us a bit about the current team of researchers, their strengths and aspirations?

The team is comprised of myself, four seed collectors, one seed processing coordinator with support staff and an intern. We are finalizing two new projects at Kirstenbosch and Karoo Desert NBG which will add 3 more to the team.

Seed Collectors:

• Naomi Mdayi – Kirstenbosch NBG (Western Cape)
• Sibahle Gumede – Kwelera NBG (Eastern Cape)
• Fergy Nkadimeng – Pretoria NBG (Gauteng, Freestate, North West)
• Ntsakisi Masia – Thohoyandou NBG (Limpopo, Mpumulanga)
• Jacqui James – Intern Kirstenbosch
• New Project - Karoo Desert NBG (Northern Cape), succulent poaching
• New Project – Kirstenbosch NBG, Restoration Unit, succulent poaching

Seed Processing at Kirstenbosch NBG:

• Thembeka Malwane – seed processing coordinator
• Georgina Wilkinson – seed cleaning and packaging shipments
• Deon Smith – Administration (requests for material and other Gardens work)
• Siyabonga Magladla – seed cleaning
• Patrick Kettledas – seed cleaning and collecting

Due to the vast and varied terrain of South Africa the scope of our work is immense. The seed collectors (all female) spend extended periods away and are always accompanied in the field for their security. They are dedicated and knowledgeable. Amongst their many talents they also train students and volunteers, as well as coordinate the field trips.

Sibahle Gumede, from Kwelera NBG in the Eastern Cape shared her thoughts:

Your team engages with volunteers across South Africa, what are the key factors that make these partnerships work and are there any challenges?

Most of our stakeholders, partners, and volunteers understand and have experience of the effects of not preserving indigenous species. Our partnership with them is symbiotic and mutual and we are extremely grateful for all the help we receive from volunteers who help find target species and even collect seeds. We occasionally have difficulties getting hold of landowners for site access and they may prohibit us from collecting, and we can sometimes be viewed as a threat that exploits vegetation to give away seeds to another country, but we work hard at spreading the conservation message and more often than not receive cooperation and enthusiastic assistance.

You alone have been involved with 500 of the collections made by the MSBP/SANBI team. Do you have any collection highlights?

One of my favourite experiences is collecting from Silvermine Nature Reserve after a huge fire in 2015, which many viewed as devastating. We knew it was just the beginning of another cycle in nature and we discovered many species which were previously not present and some that come up en masse after a fire, like the beautiful Aristea spiralis, Disa racemosa and Erica amoena.

Another great memory was collecting Euryops indecorus, a Critically Rare species known from only one site on cliff faces above Rooiels in the Western Cape. It took a whole day to get to and climb to the top of the mountain where this plant occurs and what a joyful and exciting feeling to find the species in flower and in seed, and to know that it is now secured in the seedbank.

We know that SANBI is pivotal in driving in situ species conservation and recovery, are there any key initiatives for which your seed collections will be used?

In partnership with MSBP, CREW, Kirstenbosch NBG and Stellenbosch Botanical Garden we are working on the Marasmodes undulata project. This species is classified as Critically Endangered and only occurs at a single locality. When last monitored, only three plants were present. The site has since burned, leaving no plants left in the wild. Seeds originally collected in 2005 were taken out of the seedbank and germinated at Kirstenbosch NBG and the Stellenbosch University BG. These plants are the basis for restoring this species, and these, and additional cuttings taken from them, will be planted into the wild this Autumn. It shows how important having ex situ collections can be.

How do you see the role SANBI plays in Southern Africa?

SANBI plays a critical role in the conservation arena, it leads and coordinates conservation research, and monitors and reports on the state of biodiversity in South Africa while also managing 10 Botanical Gardens that create awareness and showcase South Africa’s plants and provide education programs for learners. SANBI pilots wild plant seed conservation through our MSBP and seed conservation programme and highlights its importance through training programmes to many other organisations.

What do you see as the future challenges you are facing in your work?

Succulent poaching is a major problem, with plants exported for their ornamental value and the safety of my teams in the field is always a concern. Managing the new seed bank and developing a good seed science programme will be a new challenge, but a wonderful and exciting one.

You recently attended the remote Seed Conservation Techniques (SCT) course. How did you find it, and do you have any plans to further develop your current in-country training programme for staff and volunteers?

It was a great course; I really enjoyed it and learned so much. It was well organised with many resources. We are embarking on a staff training day every month, covering one aspect of the SCT training, and we will use the resources and videos from the course.

How do you perform a cut test on very small seeds, especially when in the field?

There are two elements to handling small seeds. One is to make sure they stay in place and don’t fly away, the other is to use the right tool for cutting.

We suggest the use of adhesive tape, by taking a strip of the tape and creating a loop (with the adhesive side facing outwards to fix the seeds), and then using small scissors to cut the seeds (either on the tape surface or by cutting through the tape with seed in place) (Fig. 1). Experienced collectors may also use their fingernail for cutting. It is always helpful to use a hand lens or microscope when cut testing very small seeds. Very tiny seeds, such as those of orchids, can’t be effectively cut tested.

Recent publications from across the MSBP:

• Diantina, S., McGill, C., Millner, J., Nadarajan, J., Pritchard, H.W., Colville, L. & Clavijo McCormick, A. (2022) Seed viability and fatty acid profiles of five orchid species before and after ageing. Plant Biology. 24: 168-175. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13345
• Faruk, A., Papikyan, A. & Nersesyan, A. (2021) Exploring effective conservation of charismatic flora: orchids in Armenia as a case study. Diversity. 13(12): 624. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/d13120624
• Liu, D., Cai, J., He, H., Yang, S., Chater, C.C.C. & Yu, F. (2022) Anemochore seeds harbour distinct fungal and bacterial abundance, composition, and functional profiles. Journal of Fungi. 8(1):89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8010089
• Kallow, S., Garcia Zuluaga, M., Fanega Sleziak, N., Nugraha, B., Mertens, A., Janssens, S.B., Gueco, L., Valle-Descalsota, M.L., Dang Vu, T., Toan Vu, D., Thi Li, L., Vadeloo, F., Dickie, J.B., Verboven, P., Swennen, R. & Panis, B. (2022) Drying banana seeds for ex situ conservation. Conservation Physiology. 10: coab099. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coab099
• Pence, V.C., Meyer, A., Linsky, J., Gratzfeld, J., Pritchard, H.W., Westwood, M. & Bruns, E.B. (2022) Defining exceptional species - A conceptual framework to expand and advance ex situ conservation of plant diversity beyone conventional seed banking. Biological Conservation. 266: 109440. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109440
• Pence, V.C., Bruns, E.B., Meyer, A., Pritchard, H.W., Westwood, M., Linsky, J., Gratzfeld, J., Helm-Wallace, S., Liu, U., Rivers, M. & Beech, E. (2022) Gap analysis of exceptional species - Using a global list of exceptional plants to expand strategic ex situ conservation action beyond conventional seed banking. Biological Conservation. 26: 109439. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109439
• Visscher, A.M., Boatfield, M., Klak, C., Yeo, M., Pearce, T.R., Wilman, V., Mdayi, N., Gumede, S. & Pritchard, H.W. (2022) Physiological seed dormancy of Ruschia imbricata and Ruschia uitenhagensis (Aizoaceae) is broken by dry heat and unaffected by seasonality. South African Journal of Botany. 147: 457-466. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2022.02.007

Kolkhuri jonjoli, Staphylea colchica Steven

Ian Willey (RBG Kew)

Staphylea colchica is native to the Caucasus region where it is known commonly as kolkhuri jonjoli (კოლხური ჯონჯოლი Georg.), Colchis Bladdernut, Caucasian Bladdernut, Jonjol or the Jonjoli tree. Staphylea colchica is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 4 metres in height with three or five ovate leaflets with finely toothed margins. In spring its small, white, fragrant bell-shaped flowers are borne on racemes and develop into greenish-white bladder-like papery fruits containing orange seeds (hence its name “bladdernut tree” in English). The flowering shoots with buds of ‘Jonjoli trees’ are edible and are pickled by fermenting in brine to produce Jonjoli, a revered delicacy in the Caucasus, and in Georgia are a common feature of the traditional feast “Supra”.

People from across the Caucasus region will have eaten Jonjoli, and an export market exists in countries with a significant Caucasian diaspora. S. colchica’s cultural value is both a blessing and a curse. Jonjoli occupies a special place in the region’s cultural identity with the tree recognisable and cherished by many. However, wild populations are threatened by the over collecting of reproductive parts for culinary purposes. Harvesting the flowering shoots and buds limits the plants’ ability to reproduce from seed, further decreasing the viability of source populations. Additionally, S. colchica distribution is severely fragmented across its native range, and the number of individual plants per population is low. A preliminary assessment in 2005 reports that distribution in the Caucasus has reduced by 50%, but a full global IUCN Red List assessment remains incomplete, and more field data is needed to establish a reliable baseline. Taxonomic studies are needed to validate species status and more research is needed to understand threats to the species and the true rate of decline.

Two ex situ seed collections of S. colchica are banked in Georgia and duplicated to the MSB. These collections are a key component of efforts to protect this species and seeds can be made available for use dependant on prior consent from partner institutions. However, S. colchica requires greater protection in situ. Overharvesting and land-use change are very real threats but by promoting sustainable harvesting and engaging communities, as was done in the Darwin Initiative-funded Enhancing rural Caucasian livelihoods through fruit and nut conservation, this culturally significant plant can be protected.

More information on other species conserved through the project can be found in the project booklet (pdf).

A fond farewell to Janet Terry

Circa 1984, when Janet began a Saturday job working in the restaurant at Wakehurst, she could not have envisaged the 3-decade long career which would follow, when she would go on to travel the world and meet, train, and collect with “so many of our wonderful partners” and “see so many strange and unique seeds and know we have them safely stored”.

When an opportunity arose with the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR, now The Crop Trust) which was running a seed handling unit at Wakehurst, Janet applied for the job as “it sounded interesting!”. Teams went out in the field (predominantly Africa) to collect cultivars and specimens of all the major crops. These got sent back to Janet, who had to sort and distribute them to the crop gene banks which were working on them. In 1990 a seed processing job came up with Kew and Janet moved to work for Kew. Work started on setting standards for collecting and storing seeds. As Janet says, these standards remain largely unchanged today – “keep it dry, keep it cool and it will live longer”.

We asked Janet to reflect on her incredible journey:

What will you miss most about working at the MSB? The people – definitely! Especially the contact with counterparts in equivalent positions around the world, who we can share ideas and experiences with.

What's the favourite species you have handled? The grapple - Harpagophytum. We collected them in Botswana. They were quite challenging to collect and even more so to clean!

What's your first memory of working here? That the Seedbank was in the Mansion – Lady Price’s bedroom was the lab and Sir Henry Price’s bathroom was the x-ray room. The stark contrast of working in an Elizabethan mansion whilst concentrating on cutting edge work! There was a large computer which took up a whole room in the Orchard building. In those early days the field data sheets were loaded onto this huge computer, so from the outset the data has been stored digitally.

What advice would you give to somebody about how to clean a collection? Slowly and carefully!

How do you see seed processing changing in the future? Funding for ‘business as usual’ processing is difficult. People love to fund new and exciting projects, but we need to be able to sustain the day-to-day processing, otherwise we may end up without processing roles and just dry and store seed at -20°C. Without viability testing, we cannot distribute the seed. This highly skilled work by practical applied scientists needs to be supported. I wish their skills were valued more highly. It’s also learning from others – the partnership, collaboration and knowledge that is the MSB’s strength.

If you hadn't worked here, what else might you have liked to do? When I worked for IBPGR, I went to a conference at their headquarters in Rome and a network contact from Indonesia offered me a job working with Orangutans. I was very tempted - things could have been very different!

What are you planning to do in your retirement? Nothing at first - that’s the point! Then I’ll probably get a part time job, working outdoors.

If you could be one plant, what would it be and why? A Welwitschia, as it’s slow growing and they live for an awfully long time. I would sit and watch the world go by!

Somehow, we can’t imagine Janet letting the grass grow under her feet for very long! Thank you to Janet for sharing her thoughts and memories with us.

What are the new requirements for sending plant material to the MSB?

Due to the UK leaving the European Union, there have been changes to Plant Health rules for shipping plant material to the UK.

All seed collections coming into the MSB from outside the UK now need to come with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the relevant authority in the exporting country. A phytosanitary certificate is an official document declaring that plants and plant material are free from pests and diseases. If seed collections arrive with this documentation, then none of the collections are classed as quarantine and the seeds and plant material will be processed as normal. This applies to wild collected and commercial seeds and plant material. The processing and long-term storage of the collections will be no different.

If a phytosanitary certificate cannot be obtained, then material will need to come in with a Letter of Authority (LoA) from the UK Plant Health Service, which can be obtained from the MSBP Conservation Coordinator for your region. However, any material coming in under the LoA will be treated as 'quarantine' upon arrival and restrictions will be placed on the future use of these collections.

As usual, before seed collections are dispatched to the MSB, species lists should be sent to the Seed Collections Manager who will check the list for any prohibited species and CITES-listed species (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Copies of all documents should be attached to the outside and also put inside the shipping box. Please also send the airwaybill (AWB) number and copies of the documents to the Seed Collections Manager, so the consignment can be tracked.

Recent publications from across the MSBP:

• Australian Network for Plant Conservation (2021) Florabank Guidelines best practice guidelines for native seed collection and use. 2nd Edition.
• Faruk, A., Willey, I., Darchidze, T., Mikatadze-Pantsulaia, T., Barblishvili, T., Nersesyan, A. & Papikyan, A. (2021) Enhancing rural Caucasian livelihoods through fruit and nut conservation (pdf). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
• Ibrahimova, A.G., Gasimova, K.H., Breman, E., Faruk, A., Willey, I. & Ali-zade, V.M. (2020) Morphological characteristics of seed of the endangered species of Diospyros lotus (Ebenaceae) in Azerbaijan. Plant & Fungal Research. 3: 52-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/plantfungalres.77
• Margreiter, V., Walde, J. & Erschbamer, B. (2021) Competition-free gaps are essential for the germination and recruitment of alpine species along an elevation gradient in the European Alps. Alpine Botany. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-021-00264-9
• Müller, J.V., Cockel, C.P., Gianella, M. & Guzzon, F. (2021) Treasuring crop wild relative diversity: analysis of success from the seed collecting phase of the 'Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change' project. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-021-01229-x
• Newton, R.J., Mackenzie, B.D.E., Lamont, B.B., Gomez-Barreiro, P., Cowling, R.M. & He, T. (2021) Fire-mediated germination syndromes in Leucadendron (Proteaceae) and their functional correlates. Oecologia. 196: 589-604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-04947-2

Updates to the field data form

We are currently in the process of updating the field data form to improve its compatibility with the data required for IUCN threat assessments. We expect the update to be ready before the end of December.