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Long term storage of seeds

Considering the goals of this group, I thought you would be interested in a little experiment I am conducting. I obtained some seeds of Sarracenia rubra jonesii from the ICPS seedbank. These were then flash frozen to -196C (liquid nitrogen) and to -80C (ultracold freezer = temperature of dry ice). The seeds were then stratified and planted. Tonight I noticed that the first seeds from both exposures as well as the untreated controls were beginning to sprout. I will keep counts and report on germination rates later. The point of this message is to communicate that seeds can be placed at ultralow temperatures and as such could theoretically be stored for "very long" periods of time.
 
This is an interesting experiment! How long were the seeds exposed to the cold treatments mentioned? Do you have a control group as well so as to compare the germination rate? Have you tried the method with any other genera, and do you plan to? I have interest on how the process would work with Drosera seed, and would be willing to furnish you with a quantity of seed anytime you would like to try the experiment. Although the application would be of little value to the hobbiest, establishments like Kew Garden who hold a millenium seed bank could stand to profit. I believe standard practise now is to store seed very dry and just above freezing, although I have heard that significantly colder storage might prove even more effective. I salute your experiment! There are very few of us with access to liquid nitrogen! I would suggest an experiment of this sort would be very well reported in the CPN, and engourage you to publish the results of your study. Please keep me posted as your experiment progresses.
 
The seeds were only exposed for a short while (I will have to check my notes, but around an hour) to determine if the seeds would survive without freeze fracture or any other major problem. Once they are at these extremely low temperatures activity stops so a minute or a year should be similar. I did keep a control (no treatment). Thus far the only other CP seeds I have tried are Nepenthes. I have submitted a paper to CPN on storage of Nepenthes pollen at these temperatures so maybe in several more months I will have enough info to write something on seeds. I currently do not have time and easy access to freeze more seeds but will PM you when it looks good to try some Drosera.

I guess I should add working with liquid nitrogen (and dry ice) is interesting but really dangerous if you get careless (both from the cold and suffocation). I hope none of you get an idea to try experiments at home. If you are thinking science fair project or something similar be sure to get expert guidance before starting. The work I did was at a university where safety is first.
 
I think that you need not worry about the kids loading their power squirters with liquid nitrogen, although it would be interesting to see what it would do to the squirrel problem here. How about shipping me a couple tanks?

The offer for the seed is a standing one. Based on what you are telling me, I woud be better off storing my seed in the freezer. Valerie will love that!
 
I am not sure how Drosera seeds would store in a home freezer. For freeze tolerant seeds, it should be better than room temp or in the frig. Like you noted earlier, it is best to dry the seeds before cold storage. For this a drying agent (chemical) should be used.
 
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