National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (USDA-ARS)

Seed storage at NLGRP is much more than placing bags of seeds in a vault. NLGRP receives samples from a wide range of institutions, companies and governments around the world. Our technicians and specialists work with the database that handles all the information accompanying each sample. We evaluate the initial seed quality, store samples in cold or cryogenic vaults and monitor the quality of stored seeds. Since 1958, we have been storing, maintaining, monitoring and distributing hundreds of thousands of samples trusted to us for the long term backup portion of the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS).