The need to protect the seeds has a vital role in agriculture since the dawn of civilization. Although we had different reasons to do so over the ages, the basic process is still the same. Ancient farmers realized that they needed to protect their seeds to ensure the harvest for the next year. They protected those seeds from extreme weather and animals. But the most essential reason we store seeds today is for crop diversity. Plants undergo adaptive evolution just like animals. So we use “Seed Bank”, one type of gene bank that stores different types of seeds to preserve genetic diversity. They are considered as seed libraries, containing valuable information about evolved strategies to combat plant stress, and can be used in creating genetically modified versions of existing seeds.
Seed banks provide conditions necessary for the longevity of seeds. They store seeds under low temperatures that keep seeds dormant until they are needed for replanting. This method can help us in preventing crop extinction. There are many other importance of Seed Banks apart from the preservation of crop diversity. Some of them are:
- Disease Resistance
One of the main reason that crops become extinct is diseases. They can be highly contagious and lethal to plants. But we can protect the crops from this with the help of seed banks.
- Protection from Climate Change
Over the past few decades, we have witnessed the climatic change that has been accelerated by increased industrial pollution. These extreme changes are lethal to crops. By preserving seeds in the seed bank, we can prevent crops from extinction.
- Protection from Man-made Disasters
The best example of man-made disasters is “war”. Obviously, this could lead to crop extinction. But with the help of seed banks, we can preserve seeds from these disasters.
- Protection from Natural Disasters
Natural disasters could easily lead the crop into extinction. For example, crops like Malaysian rice paddies were wiped out during the 2004 tsunami and seed banks provided farmers with seeds that helped them to restore the crops.
- Research
Scientists and researchers are constantly working on improving crop production in a different environment and other conditions. Seeds that are stored in seed banks can be easily made available to them and could help them in their works.
– Saifudheen
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