Crop scientists at the UK Vegetable Genebank have taken delivery of a golden parcel of heritage seeds
A unique 'seed relay' that has travelled 170 miles across England to highlight the vital importance of saving, sharing and sowing seeds has arrived at the UK Vegetable Genebank (UKVGB) at the University of Warwick's Innovation Campus.
The Heritage Seed Library (HSL), based at Ryton charity Garden Organic, is celebrating 50 years of seed conservation. Five decades after their founder sent the first precious parcel of at-risk heritage seeds to the UKVGB for preservation in the seed vault, the two organisations once again marked this special relationship with a delivery of heritage vegetable seeds
The HSL is the only living library of heritage vegetables in the UK, and over the last 50 years, the UKVGB has been assisting the library by taking 'insurance' duplicates of seeds and preserving them in temperature-controlled -20°C degree vaults.
"We're delighted to be involved in the relay to celebrate the wonderful work of the Heritage Seed Library, and our collaboration, which spans many years", says Dr Charlotte Allender, head of UKVGB. "UKVGB and the Heritage Seed Library have a shared history in the conservation and use of vegetable crop genetic diversity. We use complementary approaches to ensure historic diversity in crops is not lost and assist the HSL by keeping samples of their collections backed up in our cold store.
"Diversity is the raw material used by plant breeders and ultimately by those growing crops on farms or in gardens - and making sure future generations have access to the variation contained within old varieties is essential to ensure sustainable crop production."
The radish and carrot heritage varieties from the golden seed parcel will be grown to compare to the UKVGB's globally significant collection of over 14,000 seed samples, which includes onions, beetroot, cabbages, cauliflowers and lettuce. The seed vault also contains crop wild relatives and 'landraces' (a variety that has become adapted to local conditions) which often hold a breadth of untapped genetic diversity.
"A changing climate and decline in insects including pollinators is making our food security more precarious," adds Garden Organic chief executive Fiona Taylor. "We need to conserve the widest variety of vegetable seeds as possible to ensure the survival of homegrown food crops. Add to this worldwide food shocks caused by pandemics, wars and disrupted trade routes and the urgent need to save our precious seed becomes a race against time.
"Our Heritage Seed Library holds the National Collection of Heritage Vegetables, and we have a duty to ensure that this precious natural resource is conserved for future generations. By passing seed on and sowing it in a variety of places, we are allowing it to survive and thrive."
