Seed research at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank improves long term conservation

Our research aims to find out more about the behaviour of different seeds under a range of conditions. Our aim is to improve seed conservation worldwide and ensure that the seeds we save can be used in the future.

Tweezers holding a seed with scalpol about to dissect it

Seed research at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank

Many of our studies into seed behaviour are comparative. This allows us to analyse seed traits in relation to ecology and evolution. Recent examples of our research include studies on seed mass, programmed cell death, and seed desiccation sensitivity.

There are seven key areas of research that we focus on at the Millennium Seed Bank.

Climate & Reproductive Biology

Our research in this area focuses on the development of models with protocols for plant conservation. The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is taking part in research to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on the worlds plant life to improve the conservation of seeds.

Find out more about our climate and reproductive biology research

Genetics & Chemical Traits

Plant conservation is practiced at the MSB by storing seeds of threatened species, to save them from extinction. In order to re-introduce species into different habitats in the future, we need to assess and understand the genetic variation of seeds and plants.

Find out more about our genetics and chemical traits research

Post-harvest technology

Seed collections often contain significant numbers of unripe seeds due to the logistics of seed collecting expeditions coupled with variation in the timing of flowering and seed development. Simple practical methods for post-harvest ripening that are now being routinely applied throughout the Millennium Seed Bank network have been developed in response to this problem.

Find out more about our post-harvest technology research

Preservation technology

Our seed bank storage involves sealing dried seeds within air-tight containers and placing them at low temperature, around minus 20°C. Our routine germination tests ensure that our seed collections maintain a high level of viability for future use. Our research in this area focuses on identifying plant families with particularly short-lived seeds under conservation conditions.

Find out more about our preservation technology research

Science of aging

All living organisms eventually age and lose viability. Genes control why and how an organism ages, but the precise mechanisms of aging and cell death are still unclear. We use protocols of 'artificial aging' that induce viability loss in seeds. Our research aims to better understand the underlying biochemical and biophysical aspects of aging.

Find out more about our science of aging research

Diagnosis of viability and germination

Seeds with optimal seed quality germinate quickly and uniformly, resulting in vigorous seedlings with good potential to establish. However, poorer quality seeds do not always germinate properly. This can be for various reasons.

The development of tests to assess the viability of seeds contributes to a better estimation of the quality of these seeds. These tests are part of the output of our research projects that address these issues in seed quality.

Find out more about our diagnosis of viability and germination research

Ecophysiology and morphology

Nobody will be able to grow plants from the seeds conserved in our seed bank unless they can germinate them. Germinating samples of seeds is still the most reliable way to check the viability of our collections. This area of research focusses on developing practical methods for germinating seeds of diverse species from a wide range of habitats. It covers the factors affecting seed germination and dormancy .

Find out more about our ecophysiology and morphology research

Support & Funding

In addition to MSBP funding, our scientific research projects are supported by:

Defra
The Darwin Initiative
The Leverhulme Trust
The European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (E.U. COST)
The British Council