Shipping collections to Kew
African ladies cleaning seeds at the Centre National de Semences Forestières (CNSF) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
In general, it is critical to the successful conservation of the seed that it is sent to the seed bank within a few days of collection, together with the completed field data. This will minimise any deterioration of the seed due to aging, and allow seed bank personnel to check the ripeness of the collection and prepare the collection for drying and processing.
Seed from the UK and some US collectors is sent directly to the MSB for cleaning, processing and banking. However the majority of MSBP partners now have the capacity to clean and process seeds, in which case Kew receives only duplicate collections sent periodically from the partner seed bank facility. Any additional material from the collection such as photographs and herbarium specimens is sent to the Millennium seed bank, quoting the unique collection number given in the field.
Display of cleaned seeds in bags (from an expedition to Mali).
Accurate and careful labelling of the collection, and good packing are essential, especially where seed collections are transferred to the seed bank by post or air freight. Collections of fleshy fruited species or containing moist or under-ripe seeds require careful handling before they can be safely shipped.
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