Dates for Seed Deposits in 2022
The Seed Vault will be opened for seed deposits on the following dates in 2022:
Week 7 (14.-18. February)
Week 23 (6.-10. June)
Week 43 (24.-27. October)
Two new first-time depositors welcomed to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Seeds from the gene banks in Serbia and Latvia were among the total of 14 011 seed samples that were brought into the Seed Vault this week.
Announcing Support for Genebanks to Back-up Crop Collections in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Because seeds don’t last forever, not even in genebanks, the Crop Trust and partners will help genebanks in their efforts to regenerate and back-up their crop diversity collections in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
More than 30 000 new seeds arrive at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
In June 1st, 2021, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault received its highest number of seed deposits since February 2020 – since the worldwide response to Covid 19 made international transfers more difficult.
Seeds from Strawberries Deposited at the First Seed Vault Opening of 2021
FAO’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables is being recognized all around the globe—including at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. At the first Seed Vault opening for the year, seeds from watermelon, strawberry and pumpkin were deposited. The February deposit also included seeds from several other species from genebanks in Africa, Europe and South Asia.
In 2020: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Welcomes Record Number of Depositors
After the completion of the technical upgrade of the Seed Vault in late 2019, new and old depositing genebanks participated in a major seed deposit in February 2020. The event welcomed participants from five continents, including representatives from 35 genebanks.
Dates for Seed Deposits in 2021
The Seed Vault will be opened for seed deposits on the following dates in 2021:
Week 7 (15.-18. February)
Week 22 (31. May – 4. June)
Week 43 (25.-29. October)
October Deposit Carried out as Planned Despite the Pandemic
Despite the global pandemic, genebanks efforts to secure duplicate seed samples at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault are still ongoing. This week, some 15 000 new seed samples from seven genebanks were carried into the Seed Vault for safe, free-of-charge and long-term storage.
Nearly 3,000 pea samples from UK deposited in the Seed Vault
By depositing 2,922 samples of seeds from its large pea collection, John Innes Centre in the United Kingdom became the 88th insitute to send its seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
The Germplasm Resource Unit at JIC, which hosts some of the most comprehensive wheat, barley, oat and pea collections in the world, prioritized peas for its first seed deposits in the Seed Vault.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault Commences Seed Experiment That Will Last for 100 years
We need more knowledge to fully answer the question: How long can seeds stay alive? That question is crucial for seed genebanks and research institutes working with plants and seeds. It is known that seeds of good quality can stay alive for several decades and even for centuries. However, there are differences between species and between seed qualities due to different conditions during production and preparing of the seeds. To improve this crucial knowledge, a new seed longevity experiment, comprising seeds of 13 globally important crops, has started in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The experiment is planned to go on for 100 years.