WEBVTT - The Future: Future-proofing seeds 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:05.729 Five, four, three, two, one. 0:00:13.230 --> 0:00:16.170 You're probably wondering why you're hearing the sound of a 0:00:16.170 --> 0:00:21.060 rocket launch in a podcast about seeds. Well, it's because 0:00:21.270 --> 0:00:25.290 at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank in Wakehurst's wild botanic gardens, 0:00:25.590 --> 0:00:29.880 scientists are sending seeds into space to test the boundaries 0:00:29.880 --> 0:00:33.809 of life as we know it. They're asking huge questions 0:00:34.260 --> 0:00:37.229 like what happens when a seed leaves the planet that 0:00:37.229 --> 0:00:40.770 shaped it? How might seeds help us adapt, survive, even 0:00:40.770 --> 0:00:45.090 thrive in environments beyond our own? And how might those 0:00:45.090 --> 0:00:48.390 answers help us adapt to our own very quickly changing 0:00:48.390 --> 0:00:54.150 world? It may sound like science fiction, but it's happening 0:00:54.300 --> 0:00:54.959 right now. 0:00:55.470 --> 0:00:58.770 It's taken us our life on earth, more than three 0:00:58.770 --> 0:01:03.240 billion years to send the first organisms into space. So, 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.390 I think it's good to start working on it now 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:08.399 and not wait until the last moment. 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:13.110 Sending seeds into space is one way of testing the 0:01:13.110 --> 0:01:19.020 limits of life, another is far closer to home. Cryopreservation, 0:01:19.050 --> 0:01:22.440 plunging seeds into temperatures far below anything it'd ever encounter 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:26.010 in nature, is pushing the boundaries of what's possible here 0:01:26.010 --> 0:01:30.900 on earth. And it's offering a lifeline for species that 0:01:30.900 --> 0:01:32.910 conventional storage can't protect. 0:01:33.660 --> 0:01:36.150 Inside are these racks, and as the racks are very cold, 0:01:36.150 --> 0:01:37.979 so even with my gloves on I can still feel 0:01:37.980 --> 0:01:41.310 it's quite cold to hold. And in here, I think 0:01:41.310 --> 0:01:44.730 there's space for thousands of samples inside each of these vessels. 0:01:46.890 --> 0:01:50.820 The choices we make now, the seeds we protect today, 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:55.110 and the science that makes their preservation possible will shape 0:01:55.110 --> 0:02:00.720 the lives of generations to come. I'm Cate Blanchett, Kew's 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:05.790 ambassador for Wakehurst, and this is Unearthed: The Need for 0:02:05.790 --> 0:02:16.350 Seeds. Episode three, The Future. If you're wondering, as I 0:02:16.350 --> 0:02:20.340 did, why with so many pressing challenges here on Earth, 0:02:20.460 --> 0:02:24.450 Wakehurst is casting their gaze out into space, I don't 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:30.720 blame you. Space is perhaps the harshest environment imaginable, and 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:34.679 certainly not the easiest to reach. But for Anne Visscher, 0:02:34.830 --> 0:02:37.919 a research fellow in the seed and stress biology team 0:02:37.950 --> 0:02:42.330 here at the MSB, putting seeds into space opens up 0:02:42.330 --> 0:02:45.090 an extraordinary spectrum of possibilities. 0:02:45.389 --> 0:02:49.740 There are several aims for sending seeds into space, and 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:52.680 one of them is to have them included in life 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:56.130 support systems for human missions to Mars or the moon. 0:02:56.850 --> 0:03:00.450 Another reason might be to store seeds as part of 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:04.440 small banks on the moon as a second backup for 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:09.060 use on earth, and those are called biorepositories. And then, 0:03:09.060 --> 0:03:12.000 a third aim has been mentioned for years already is 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:16.079 the idea of maybe perhaps terraforming Mars in the distant future. 0:03:16.410 --> 0:03:19.950 Anne is at the heart of several remarkable space projects, 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:23.489 two of which are destined for the International Space Station. 0:03:23.820 --> 0:03:27.419 One will be housed on the outside, exposing 24 different 0:03:27.419 --> 0:03:32.399 species to the actual outer space conditions, and then about 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.910 six species will be going to the inside of this station. 0:03:36.150 --> 0:03:39.420 And one is even set to journey to the moon. 0:03:39.780 --> 0:03:43.650 And then there's a project that is preparing to send 0:03:43.650 --> 0:03:46.230 seeds to the surface of the moon, first in a 0:03:46.230 --> 0:03:50.310 dry state, and then a subsequent mission to do a 0:03:50.310 --> 0:03:52.440 germination kind of experiment as well. 0:03:52.860 --> 0:03:56.700 Space is an environment so unforgiving that just surviving is 0:03:56.700 --> 0:04:00.240 a challenge, and that is exactly what Anne and her 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.610 team are putting these seeds up against. 0:04:02.790 --> 0:04:05.730 So, the conditions that our seeds will be exposed to 0:04:05.730 --> 0:04:09.990 on the outside of the International Space Station will be 0:04:10.020 --> 0:04:14.130 vacuum and radiation, and that way we can not only 0:04:14.250 --> 0:04:17.070 look at the effect of vacuum, and radiation, and temperature 0:04:17.070 --> 0:04:20.040 in combination, which will make it harder to understand what 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.580 each condition does for the seed, but we'll try to 0:04:23.580 --> 0:04:26.549 separate them out and that way we can analyze the 0:04:26.550 --> 0:04:30.150 effect of either vacuum on its own, the radiation on 0:04:30.150 --> 0:04:33.390 its own, and temperature fluctuations we'll try to mimic on 0:04:33.390 --> 0:04:33.930 the ground. 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:36.540 Now stay with me here, it might sound far removed, 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:40.620 but what we learn up there has real consequences for 0:04:40.620 --> 0:04:44.100 how we safeguard seeds back down here at the MSB. 0:04:44.460 --> 0:04:48.180 Research on earth has shown that some species actually benefit 0:04:48.450 --> 0:04:52.710 from being stored without oxygen or at even lower humidities 0:04:52.710 --> 0:04:55.979 that we're using as a standard in the bank. Not 0:04:55.980 --> 0:05:00.870 all species, but some show increased longevity, which means that 0:05:00.900 --> 0:05:03.570 if you store them for a certain length of time 0:05:03.570 --> 0:05:06.599 and try to germinate them afterwards, you see a larger 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:09.900 number of seeds still germinating than if you store them 0:05:09.900 --> 0:05:14.039 with oxygen or at high water contents. So, some of 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:18.089 our findings that might come from our space research can 0:05:18.089 --> 0:05:20.940 have an impact on how we store seeds on earth 0:05:21.060 --> 0:05:21.750 in the bank. 0:05:22.470 --> 0:05:26.070 The team are sending seeds into the International Space Station 0:05:26.250 --> 0:05:31.409 to understand how the conditions there impact germination, and every 0:05:31.410 --> 0:05:34.469 single seed has been carefully chosen to be part of 0:05:34.470 --> 0:05:35.310 this experiment. 0:05:35.700 --> 0:05:39.360 We've really tried to cover as much diversity as possible to 0:05:40.020 --> 0:05:43.680 be able to see if those factors make a difference, 0:05:44.250 --> 0:05:47.670 and these factors include the climate that they were collected 0:05:47.670 --> 0:05:52.800 from. Also, the family. We are also trying to have 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.279 a range of different seed characteristics, so the size of 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.580 the embryo or whether they're dormant or not, thickness of 0:05:59.580 --> 0:06:00.659 the seed coat. 0:06:01.470 --> 0:06:04.469 By including a wide range of seeds, Anne and her 0:06:04.470 --> 0:06:08.880 team can begin to understand which species are most resilient 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:13.800 in space, but these aren't quick experiments. These are carefully 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.050 planned long- term projects. 0:06:16.950 --> 0:06:21.210 We've been working on this since 2014, so we're already 0:06:21.300 --> 0:06:27.570 11 years underway. So, it is really a practice in patience. Hopefully 0:06:27.630 --> 0:06:29.400 it will fly in the next few years and we'll 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:33.900 get data back within five years. And it's always a 0:06:33.900 --> 0:06:38.160 matter of reducing your expectations and seeing the long- term 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.830 picture, but taking it one step at a time. 0:06:41.670 --> 0:06:44.580 Closer to home, Anne is studying some of the most 0:06:44.580 --> 0:06:48.390 extreme environments on earth as part of the Western Global 0:06:48.390 --> 0:06:51.420 Tree Seed Bank, a project we first heard about in 0:06:51.420 --> 0:06:56.070 episode two from Nattanit Yiamthaisong, the PhD student from Thailand. 0:06:56.250 --> 0:07:01.440 We are trying to identify species that can survive really 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:07.320 high temperatures during germination, over 40 degrees Celsius. And what 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:11.640 I'm doing there is screening over 100 different collections from 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:16.290 the Millennium Seed Bank by looking at the areas in 0:07:16.290 --> 0:07:19.410 the world where we can see the highest average annual 0:07:19.410 --> 0:07:23.970 temperature over 27 degrees. They're particularly interested in tree species, 0:07:24.750 --> 0:07:28.950 and what I'm trying to do is identify ones that 0:07:28.950 --> 0:07:32.610 have really high germination at 42 and a half degrees 0:07:32.610 --> 0:07:39.150 Celsius. So, we've now screened approximately 50 collections and we've 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:43.230 discovered several that show really good percentages of germination at 0:07:43.230 --> 0:07:47.220 that temperature. So, we are excited to hopefully discover species 0:07:47.220 --> 0:07:51.300 that not only grow really well in the mature plant 0:07:51.300 --> 0:07:54.990 state in those hot regions, but for which we also 0:07:54.990 --> 0:07:58.290 know that they can survive really high temperatures in their 0:07:58.290 --> 0:08:03.510 really early phase of germination, when the root tip first 0:08:03.510 --> 0:08:07.830 comes out and the seedling then develops, because ultimately what 0:08:07.830 --> 0:08:12.059 we're interested in is using our collections to restore habitats 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.160 and reforest regions. 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.130 The team wanted to know if the temperature of the 0:08:17.130 --> 0:08:20.670 site where each seed was collected would predict how well 0:08:20.670 --> 0:08:24.720 it germinated under high heat, but the results are surprising. 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:29.040 Seeds from hotter regions aren't automatically better at coping with 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:30.030 extreme temperatures. 0:08:30.390 --> 0:08:34.350 So, we were hoping that perhaps choosing seeds from plants 0:08:34.350 --> 0:08:37.320 that grow in the hottest areas, even within these very 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:41.550 hot regions, we may have a higher amount of candidate 0:08:41.550 --> 0:08:44.550 species that are also tolerant during germination, but that doesn't 0:08:44.550 --> 0:08:48.150 seem to be necessarily the case. It seems relatively random, 0:08:48.210 --> 0:08:51.030 which ones are the tolerant ones and which ones are 0:08:51.030 --> 0:08:53.429 the sensitive ones. So, we really do need to do 0:08:53.429 --> 0:08:54.750 this screen to find out. 0:08:56.370 --> 0:09:00.390 Anne's work depends on the seeds safely stored here at 0:09:00.390 --> 0:09:03.630 the Millennium Seed Bank, and many of these seeds come 0:09:03.630 --> 0:09:08.610 through the MSB's international partners, collecting locally, banking locally, and 0:09:08.610 --> 0:09:12.569 sending duplicates back here to Wakehurst. But the work here 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:16.650 isn't just about storing seeds, it's thinking about how to 0:09:16.650 --> 0:09:20.970 make collections stronger for the long term. One way this 0:09:20.970 --> 0:09:24.990 is happening is through the new trainer certification scheme, which 0:09:24.990 --> 0:09:30.030 trains local collectors. The idea is simple, but powerful. Equip 0:09:30.030 --> 0:09:32.819 people globally with the skills to collect and care for 0:09:32.820 --> 0:09:37.410 seeds in their own backyards so knowledge and seeds don't 0:09:37.410 --> 0:09:38.819 stay in one place. 0:09:40.410 --> 0:09:43.110 My name is Meg Engelhardt, and I'm the seed bank 0:09:43.110 --> 0:09:47.130 manager for the Missouri Botanical Garden. One project that we're 0:09:47.130 --> 0:09:49.980 working on right now is we're able to pull orchid 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:54.000 seeds from the past that are in populations that don't 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:56.160 really exist anymore or we haven't seen them in a 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:59.550 long time, and we're working on reintroducing those back into 0:09:59.550 --> 0:10:04.050 their native landscapes in central Missouri. And we have woodlands 0:10:04.050 --> 0:10:07.710 and glades there that are part of the Ozarks, and so 0:10:07.710 --> 0:10:11.490 we're working on those areas specifically. Kew was a big 0:10:11.550 --> 0:10:15.540 inspiration for our founder, so we've been peer institutions over 0:10:15.540 --> 0:10:19.199 time, and in more recent decades, that's really turned into 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:22.410 a heavy focus on plant conservation and trying to halt 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:23.910 this biodiversity loss. 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.570 Meg's excited to take what she's learned here at the MSB, 0:10:27.690 --> 0:10:29.520 and share that knowledge back home. 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.220 Now I get to come back here and help develop 0:10:32.220 --> 0:10:34.980 this program so that we can take it to our 0:10:34.980 --> 0:10:39.179 home countries and adapt to the people that are going 0:10:39.179 --> 0:10:42.570 to use it in our specific areas, but also the 0:10:42.630 --> 0:10:45.330 most exciting part for me is that we're all working 0:10:45.330 --> 0:10:48.240 from the same standards that have been set by the 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:51.270 Millennium Seed Bank. And so, when I get home I'll 0:10:51.270 --> 0:10:55.470 be able to train people who are leading their own 0:10:55.470 --> 0:10:58.590 programs or maybe just starting a small program, all the 0:10:58.590 --> 0:11:01.740 way down to practitioners who are maybe a seed collector, 0:11:02.010 --> 0:11:05.069 who then grow seeds out that people can use for 0:11:05.070 --> 0:11:10.380 restoration. So, it will apply to professionals down to practitioners. 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.220 Meg says that the knowledge sharing is crucial, it's the 0:11:14.220 --> 0:11:17.460 key to stopping the decline of species and ecosystems. 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.270 Halting the loss of biodiversity has been at the forefront 0:11:21.270 --> 0:11:23.790 of our institution's work, and this is going to have 0:11:23.790 --> 0:11:27.210 such a strong impact in our ability to collaborate and 0:11:27.210 --> 0:11:30.750 share that knowledge, and not keep that knowledge just to 0:11:30.750 --> 0:11:33.179 the people who have access but make sure that everyone 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:37.650 that can contribute to this really difficult problem have that 0:11:37.650 --> 0:11:39.210 knowledge and experience. 0:11:45.420 --> 0:11:49.199 In this room we have three silver vessels, which look 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:51.120 a bit like the vats you might see in a 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:56.429 brewery. Each of them contain liquid nitrogen. So, liquid nitrogen 0:11:56.490 --> 0:12:01.080 temperature is minus 196 degrees Celsius, but on these vessels 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:04.319 you can see the temperature gauge is around minus 170 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.980 degrees Celsius. So, that's the temperature of the liquid nitrogen vapor in 0:12:07.980 --> 0:12:09.059 which the seeds are stored. 0:12:09.780 --> 0:12:13.980 This is Louise Colville, senior research leader in seed biology, 0:12:14.370 --> 0:12:17.520 guiding us through one of the most futuristic looking parts 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:23.160 of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the cryopreservation storage room. Wearing 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.070 thick gloves and safety goggles, she opens one of the 0:12:26.070 --> 0:12:30.240 enormous metal barrels and a cloud of swirling vapor pours out. 0:12:35.100 --> 0:12:38.189 So, in here we have our racks which are filled 0:12:38.190 --> 0:12:41.520 with our samples, so that noise was the fan to 0:12:41.550 --> 0:12:43.290 clear the vapor because we can just see a big 0:12:43.290 --> 0:12:47.219 cloud of vapor now. And inside are these racks, and 0:12:47.220 --> 0:12:51.240 in each rack there'll be storage boxes which contain our 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:54.570 samples. The racks are very cold, so even with my 0:12:54.570 --> 0:12:57.090 gloves on I can still feel it's quite cold to 0:12:57.090 --> 0:13:00.660 hold. And in here, I think there's space for thousands 0:13:00.660 --> 0:13:04.050 of samples inside each of these vessels. So, they contain 0:13:04.050 --> 0:13:07.140 quite a lot of our short- lived orthodox seed collections, 0:13:07.140 --> 0:13:08.580 which are duplicated from the seed bank. 0:13:08.610 --> 0:13:13.170 Cryopreservation is reserved for seeds that don't take kindly to the 0:13:13.170 --> 0:13:17.550 usual drying and storage process. The more tricky ones are 0:13:17.550 --> 0:13:21.840 called recalcitrant seeds, ones that we touched on briefly with 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.929 seed curator, Sian McCabe, in the previous episode. 0:13:25.290 --> 0:13:28.439 Recalcitrant seeds tend to be larger, they also contain a 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:30.959 lot of water, and they tend to have thin seed 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:33.660 coats as well. So, if we think about something which 0:13:33.660 --> 0:13:36.150 probably lots of people are familiar with acorns from oak 0:13:36.150 --> 0:13:40.140 trees, also chestnuts. So, you tend to find species which 0:13:40.140 --> 0:13:43.679 produce recalcitrant seeds in wetter environments. So for example, trees 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.950 in rainforests, and the same with species like sea grass, 0:13:46.950 --> 0:13:49.890 so they're grown in marine environments and produce recalcitrant seeds. 0:13:50.370 --> 0:13:52.710 And different seeds have different needs. 0:13:53.010 --> 0:13:57.809 The cryopreservation process typically has to be optimized or adapted 0:13:57.809 --> 0:14:00.929 for each species. So, there's not one approach which works 0:14:00.929 --> 0:14:04.140 for everything, which is one of the major challenges with 0:14:04.140 --> 0:14:07.590 using cryopreservation. So, what we do is we take out 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.800 the part of the seed called the embryonic axis, and 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:12.870 that's the part of the seed which develops into the 0:14:12.870 --> 0:14:16.440 new plant. And because it's much smaller, it means we 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:21.000 can then very rapidly partially dry that tissue to a 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.430 point where we remove the water, which will form ice. 0:14:24.180 --> 0:14:26.130 And then, once we've reached that point we can then 0:14:26.130 --> 0:14:28.440 very rapidly freeze it using liquid nitrogen. 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.520 The embryonic axis is that little white part you see 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.610 inside a seed. It's what I saw when we cut 0:14:35.610 --> 0:14:38.100 one open with Ted Chapman and Isabel Negri in the 0:14:38.100 --> 0:14:42.600 previous episode. It's basically the heart of a seed. It's 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.630 the part that will grow into a new plant, which 0:14:45.630 --> 0:14:48.690 is why Louise and her team focus on preserving it 0:14:48.690 --> 0:14:53.070 so carefully, but it comes with its own challenges. You 0:14:53.070 --> 0:14:56.880 can't just germinate these cryo- preserved seeds like you would 0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:01.830 a regular seed. They need in vitro techniques, essentially coaxing 0:15:01.890 --> 0:15:05.010 the seed to grow from scratch in a Petri dish. 0:15:05.970 --> 0:15:08.160 That is very complicated, and I think one of the 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.800 challenges as well is that if we can regenerate after 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:13.560 cryo using in vitro techniques, it's then moving on from 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.170 that to be able to take those plants into the 0:15:16.170 --> 0:15:19.530 nursery, because obviously they've become quite used to their nice 0:15:19.530 --> 0:15:22.320 protected conditions, and then to go out where they're exposed 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.150 to further stress is a big step for them. 0:15:24.630 --> 0:15:27.150 Louise and her team are still in the research phase, 0:15:27.270 --> 0:15:30.360 working out how different species respond to this type of 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:35.640 preservation. It's crucial that they get it right, because each 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:40.380 seed is different, and some very important seeds rely on 0:15:40.380 --> 0:15:42.720 this specific method to remain viable. 0:15:42.990 --> 0:15:46.890 Although only around 10% of the world's seed- bearing plants produce 0:15:46.890 --> 0:15:50.790 recalcitrant seeds. In some regions such as tropical rainforests, around 0:15:50.790 --> 0:15:54.690 50% of tree species will produce recalcitrant seeds, and most 0:15:54.690 --> 0:15:57.360 of those species will also be under greater threat of 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:00.750 extinction. So, I think there's a real pressure here that 0:16:00.750 --> 0:16:04.230 we should be conserving not just orthodox seeds that we 0:16:04.230 --> 0:16:07.410 can conserve quite easily, but also looking at addressing the 0:16:07.410 --> 0:16:10.620 challenges of conserving these more difficult to preserve species. Most 0:16:10.620 --> 0:16:13.110 of our work so far has been on UK trees, 0:16:13.590 --> 0:16:17.160 and actually oaks. So quercus robur, the English oak, is 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.430 quite difficult to cryopreserve and we're not really sure why. 0:16:20.430 --> 0:16:22.470 We think part of it is down to the chemistry 0:16:22.590 --> 0:16:25.380 of the seed. So, as soon as we remove the embryonic acid 0:16:25.380 --> 0:16:28.290 it's starting to oxidize. As you watch, you can see 0:16:28.290 --> 0:16:30.630 them start to brown. So, it's at that point where 0:16:30.630 --> 0:16:33.600 the challenge starts, so we need to use antioxidants to 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:37.020 help prevent that browning before we can then move into 0:16:37.020 --> 0:16:40.830 our cryopreservation process. But even then, even if you have 0:16:40.830 --> 0:16:45.930 a successful protocol, survival might only be 40% after cryopreservation, 0:16:46.020 --> 0:16:47.370 and that would be considered quite good. 0:16:47.910 --> 0:16:51.720 The team anticipate that cryo- preserved seeds will endure far 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:55.410 longer than those in conventional seed bank storage, though the long- 0:16:55.410 --> 0:16:59.940 term data isn't in yet. Still, this approach could offer 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.360 a lifeline for plants that don't produce seeds at all. 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:07.409 So, cryopreservation is not just for seeds, but it's also an 0:17:07.410 --> 0:17:10.050 approach that can be used for the conservation of a 0:17:10.050 --> 0:17:13.889 much wider range of plants, mosses and ferns, seaweeds, for 0:17:13.890 --> 0:17:17.490 example. These don't produce seeds, but they instead reproduce via 0:17:17.490 --> 0:17:21.180 spores. Over half of the UK native species do not 0:17:21.180 --> 0:17:24.960 produce seeds. So, by using cryopreservation we can really scale 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:28.379 up the diversity of the British flora that we can conserve. 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.380 Cryopreservation gives us a way to protect a huge variety 0:17:34.380 --> 0:17:38.369 of plant life, and Louise's research is a prime example 0:17:38.369 --> 0:17:41.550 of the innovation happening at the MSB. But of course, 0:17:41.550 --> 0:17:45.149 preservation and conservation aren't confined to the UK. Around the 0:17:45.150 --> 0:17:48.900 world, MSB partners are working to safeguard their own local 0:17:48.900 --> 0:17:53.940 ecosystems. Cutting edge science and on the- ground action go 0:17:53.940 --> 0:17:54.720 hand in hand. 0:17:55.740 --> 0:18:00.690 My name is James Amponsah, I'm working with the Forestry 0:18:00.780 --> 0:18:04.950 Research Institute of Ghana, and specifically that institute has a 0:18:04.950 --> 0:18:09.060 national seed bank called the National Tree Seed Center. I'm 0:18:09.060 --> 0:18:14.550 in charge of managing seed conservation, especially with forest seeds 0:18:14.700 --> 0:18:19.980 in Ghana. So, we are expected to supervise and undertake 0:18:19.980 --> 0:18:22.290 seed collections across the country. 0:18:22.530 --> 0:18:26.400 As a partner of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the Forestry 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:31.260 Research Institute of Ghana has collaborated on joint research projects 0:18:31.260 --> 0:18:35.970 and contributed seeds to the MSB. But back home, their 0:18:36.060 --> 0:18:40.950 National Tree Seed Center is also actively involved in restoring 0:18:40.950 --> 0:18:45.840 land across Ghana, including rehabilitating former mine sites. 0:18:46.109 --> 0:18:49.950 Ghana is currently facing a lot of problems with small 0:18:49.950 --> 0:18:53.550 scale illegal mining, polluting water bodies and degrading our forest 0:18:53.550 --> 0:18:57.720 resources. And so, we have been involved in selecting species 0:18:58.020 --> 0:19:00.510 and making sure that we have the right framework species 0:19:00.510 --> 0:19:04.290 for restoring these degraded forests back to their natural states. 0:19:04.590 --> 0:19:07.500 James is part of the very first cohort to take 0:19:07.500 --> 0:19:11.340 part in the new trainer certification scheme. And just like Meg 0:19:11.340 --> 0:19:15.629 says, he's bringing those skills back home to help others 0:19:15.690 --> 0:19:17.550 and make a real difference on the ground. 0:19:17.910 --> 0:19:22.139 This certification program for me is taking our partnership to 0:19:22.140 --> 0:19:26.970 another level. It's really going to help contribute to our 0:19:26.970 --> 0:19:30.930 seed bank's ability to train others. So, I think it's 0:19:30.930 --> 0:19:34.260 very important. This training is really beneficial for us as 0:19:34.260 --> 0:19:37.710 participant. We have come in thinking that it's going to 0:19:37.710 --> 0:19:42.869 be more of training on the standards, but in going 0:19:42.869 --> 0:19:46.020 beyond that we are now being trained with how to 0:19:46.020 --> 0:19:51.330 deliver high quality training, how to engage with our participants, 0:19:51.660 --> 0:19:54.570 how to make our training back home more impactful. 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:58.410 For James and for everyone he trains back in Ghana, 0:19:58.980 --> 0:20:02.520 tapping into local knowledge is just as important as any 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:03.510 lab experiment. 0:20:03.780 --> 0:20:07.470 When we use local knowledge in seed conservation, it's really 0:20:07.470 --> 0:20:11.730 helpful. Sometimes local people know best where we could find 0:20:12.330 --> 0:20:15.899 best sources for seed collection. They may even have traditional 0:20:15.900 --> 0:20:19.679 ways of pre- treating their seeds for better germination. And so, 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:22.230 when you ignore that you will be losing out actually 0:20:22.230 --> 0:20:25.350 as a research scientist. And so, local knowledge is very 0:20:25.350 --> 0:20:29.580 critical for seed conservation at all levels. The work of the 0:20:29.580 --> 0:20:36.150 MSP is really enhancing biodiversity conservation. With climate change and 0:20:36.150 --> 0:20:40.139 with biodiversity losses on the rise, working hard to conserve 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:45.300 seeds is actually helping us to safeguard our plant biodiversity. It is 0:20:45.450 --> 0:20:50.159 also a way of ensuring that seed banks across the 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:53.669 world will get to know of improved standards to help 0:20:53.670 --> 0:20:57.180 us benefit nature and people in the end. And this 0:20:57.180 --> 0:21:00.270 for me is great. It's really a way of empowering 0:21:00.330 --> 0:21:03.869 us to deliver our best in terms of seed conservation 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:06.450 across our country, and even across Africa. 0:21:07.290 --> 0:21:11.220 Insightful words from James, and another reminder of how seed 0:21:11.220 --> 0:21:16.470 banking really is a global effort. But back here in 0:21:16.470 --> 0:21:20.760 the labs, researchers Anne and Louise are tackling a different type 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:25.649 of challenge, cracking the secrets of seed dormancy. Their work 0:21:25.650 --> 0:21:29.369 centers around what makes a seed stay asleep and what 0:21:29.369 --> 0:21:35.130 wakes it up or start to germinate. Imagine a seed 0:21:35.250 --> 0:21:38.909 in autumn. It survives the winter lying in the soil 0:21:39.060 --> 0:21:44.070 until bursting into life and spring. Now, sometimes that awakening 0:21:44.310 --> 0:21:48.600 depends on a nudge from the environment, a physical cue 0:21:48.810 --> 0:21:50.760 to tell it the time is right. 0:21:50.760 --> 0:21:57.540 It can be through wetting and drying, and over time this 0:21:57.540 --> 0:22:01.350 creates small cracks. It can also be by passage through 0:22:01.350 --> 0:22:06.540 animals, by the seeds being eaten. It can also happen 0:22:06.660 --> 0:22:11.669 through temperature fluctuations, again, causing small morphological changes and then 0:22:11.670 --> 0:22:15.900 eventually cracks. Or it can be a molecular reason where 0:22:15.960 --> 0:22:18.750 there are certain hormones that are really high at that 0:22:18.750 --> 0:22:22.260 time that stop other processes from happening so that the 0:22:22.260 --> 0:22:26.400 whole germination growth process doesn't start. Temperature is a well- 0:22:26.400 --> 0:22:30.630 known trigger, for example in these temperate climates that we're 0:22:30.630 --> 0:22:35.460 living in here in the UK, so some seeds are dispersed 0:22:35.460 --> 0:22:38.939 in the autumn but they won't germinate during the winter, 0:22:39.570 --> 0:22:42.600 and it's often because of their dormancy. And what happens 0:22:42.600 --> 0:22:46.800 is that after a certain number of cold hours that 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:50.640 they experience, they are then ready to germinate under the 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:51.840 spring conditions. 0:22:52.590 --> 0:22:57.119 But with climate change altering weather patterns, many seeds aren't 0:22:57.119 --> 0:23:01.590 reaching the temperatures they need to break dormancy. That's where 0:23:01.590 --> 0:23:05.640 Louise's team is turning to an unexpected solution. 0:23:06.390 --> 0:23:10.379 Plasma is the fourth state of matter. So we have 0:23:10.410 --> 0:23:14.430 solid, liquids, gases and plasma. It's actually the most abundant 0:23:14.490 --> 0:23:17.760 state of matter in the universe. Plasma consists of highly 0:23:17.760 --> 0:23:23.700 reactive molecules and ions. It's produced by either heating or 0:23:23.850 --> 0:23:28.290 applying an electric charge to a gas. So, plasma's very abundant 0:23:28.290 --> 0:23:32.430 in stars, for example. On earth, when lightning strikes, that 0:23:32.430 --> 0:23:33.330 generates plasma. 0:23:33.750 --> 0:23:37.200 Yeah, plasma. It's the same stuff that makes your TV 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:39.600 glow, only a bit more alive. 0:23:40.320 --> 0:23:44.340 Plasma consists of these reactive molecules. We know that these 0:23:44.340 --> 0:23:48.449 interact with the molecular pathways which control seed dormancy and 0:23:48.450 --> 0:23:52.350 germination. We're interested in whether plasma could be used to 0:23:52.380 --> 0:23:54.330 treat seeds and break dormancy. 0:23:54.750 --> 0:23:59.970 Tree species often belong to the long dormancy club. Many 0:23:59.970 --> 0:24:03.600 species need months of cold before they're ready to germinate. 0:24:04.050 --> 0:24:06.600 We were interested in whether we could use plasma treatments 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:10.859 to accelerate the process of dormancy break, perhaps shorten the 0:24:10.980 --> 0:24:14.460 requirement for the cold treatment or maybe eliminating it altogether. 0:24:15.180 --> 0:24:18.300 We were working with Hazel, Rowan, and Beech, so those 0:24:18.300 --> 0:24:22.080 seeds all require long periods of cold stratification to germinate. 0:24:22.560 --> 0:24:25.380 And then we also used free shallow dormant species, which 0:24:25.380 --> 0:24:29.969 was Scots pine, downy birch, and common alder. And so, 0:24:29.970 --> 0:24:32.609 they require just a short period of cold stratification. 0:24:32.940 --> 0:24:36.990 The team applied two different styles of plasma treatments, the 0:24:36.990 --> 0:24:38.609 first is very direct. 0:24:38.850 --> 0:24:40.740 The seeds are put on a conveyor belt and they're 0:24:40.740 --> 0:24:44.460 passed underneath a plasma generator, and you can see little 0:24:44.460 --> 0:24:48.540 purple lightning strikes of plasma discharges connecting with the seed. 0:24:48.930 --> 0:24:52.830 And the second is indirect, using air and water. 0:24:52.980 --> 0:24:56.730 So, we treated air with plasma and then exposed the 0:24:56.730 --> 0:24:59.159 seeds to that plasma treated air, and we did the 0:24:59.160 --> 0:25:02.040