Authors: Stacy Anderson, Tobin Weatherson, Joe Davitt – San Diego Zoo Native Plant Seed Bank We are all taught in school that water expands when frozen. That’s why ice floats, sealed bottles explode in the freezer, and frost kills living tissues. All living cells are comprised largely of water and can rupture and die when […]
Dr. Christina Walters and Lisa Hill, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins Because research has shown that seeds will last best when stored at a relative humidity(RH) of 15-25% it is important to understand how the initial RH will respond to temperature changes. In this video, Lisa Hill of the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation […]
Lisa Hill – National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (USDA-ARS) Drying seeds to appropriate relative humidity is the first step to long term seed storage. NLGRP and CPC recommend drying seeds to 25-35% relative humidity at room temperature. One way to acheive specific relative humidities is to use saturated salt solutions. Here, Lisa shows the […]