Collecting data throughout the banking process

At Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, seed data is collected at different stages of the seed conservation process.

We collect data about the seeds we safeguard throughout the conservation process

The processing stages that yield key processing data are as follows:

At each of these stages of processing of the seed collection, data is recorded on the system.

In addition, the confirmation of identification of the species is recorded, as are the results of moisture content and tetrazolium tests (if carried out). There are also fields for noting the location and details of herbarium specimens and the purpose and outcomes of sending plants to be grown on.

The processing data can be used to evaluate the status of a collection or batch of collections through the various stages and the results employed to produce a quality assessment of the collections. The processing data field categories are:

X-ray analysis data (Conditions used and number of seeds full / empty / infested. )
Seed weight (Number of seeds per sample weight and standard error. )
Seed quantity (Original quantity (usually derived from seed weight data) and current quantity. )
Germination test data (Date tested, conditions used and result. )
Moisture content test data (Date tested, conditions used and result. )
Tetrazolium test data (Date tested, conditions used and result. )
Duplicate locations (Location (where collection split). )
Banking data (Date banked, container type and number and location in the bank. )
Voucher data (Wild or cultivated pressed specimen, herbarium notes and location of specimen(s). )
Glasshouse data (how the plants performed when growing out)