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Depositing seeds into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Depositing seeds into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The vault will welcome more seeds on Feb. 25

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A seed storage facility in Norway is preparing to receive its next crop of culturally sensitive seeds.

The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard will receive more than 65,000 new seed sample duplicates from 36 genebanks during a depositing ceremony on Feb. 25.

“Never before in the Seed Vault’s history have so many institutions deposited seeds at one single occasion,” Åsmund Asdal, the seed vault coordinator with NordGen, said in a Feb. 18 statement. “This is great news and an important step towards securing the world’s crop diversity.”

The vault currently holds more than 980,000 samples, originating from almost every country on the planet. It has the capacity to store 4.5 million varieties of crops, with each variety containing about 500 seeds.

NordGen helps manage the seed vault along with Norway’s federal government and the Crop Trust, an international non-profit dedicated to protecting food security.

Nine of the new seed varieties will come from a U.S.-based tribe.

The Cherokee Nation will be the first American tribe to have some of its crop seeds secured in the vault.

The seeds include Cherokee White Eagle Corn, a blue and white corn with a red cob. The corn variety received this name because it is believed the image of a white eagle appears on some of the kernels. The corn is also used in cultural ceremonies.

“I think congratulations are in order for the Cherokee Nation,” Pat Gwin, the tribe’s senior director of environmental resources, told Farms.com. “Our motto was as long as we can keep the eagle flying, the Cherokees will persevere.”


Cherokee White Eagle Corn

Cherokee long greasy beans, Cherokee Trail of Tears beans, Cherokee turkey gizzard black and brown beans, Cherokee candy roaster squash, and three other varieties of corn, make up the remainder of the Cherokee seed contributions.

The process of getting the Cherokee crops into the seed vault started in 2005 when planning of the facility in Svalbard was in its early stages.

“Our tribal council decided we needed to get our seeds into this vault,” Gwin said. “We came to find out that our ancestral seeds did not come on the trail with us, so it was a multi-year project where we’re trying to research, locate and recover particular crops and seeds.”

The trail Gwin mentioned refers to the Trail of Tears.

In 1838, about 15,000 Cherokee were expelled from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and forced to relocate in what is now Oklahoma.




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The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.

 

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