WEBVTT - The Present: Inside the world’s largest seed bank 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:04.559 You really are on the edge of South Downs. Could 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:06.570 you describe it as a natural landscape or... 0:00:06.570 --> 0:00:08.760 So, the landscape we're driving through now is not really 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.610 natural. No. So, these fields are arable fields, so they 0:00:11.610 --> 0:00:15.540 would normally be gray cereals, but for this year, at 0:00:15.540 --> 0:00:17.939 least they've been sown with it looks like some kind 0:00:17.940 --> 0:00:19.860 of wild seed mix. 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:23.910 I'm in a Jeep lurching over a dusty single track 0:00:23.910 --> 0:00:27.780 road where deep in the South Downs National Park, which 0:00:27.780 --> 0:00:31.080 is just beyond Brighton on England's southern coast. 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:33.540 Skylarks are taking advantage of that because they nest in 0:00:33.540 --> 0:00:34.919 the ground. So, they're probably nesting. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.340 You can hear them outside. That's Ted Chapman behind the 0:00:38.340 --> 0:00:42.990 Wheel UK Conservation Partnerships Coordinator at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank 0:00:42.990 --> 0:00:46.560 at Wakehurst. He's also my guide for today. 0:00:46.950 --> 0:00:49.950 So, these hills that we're driving over now are all 0:00:49.950 --> 0:00:52.470 chalk, and the chalk is really close to the surface. 0:00:53.130 --> 0:00:57.240 So, the soil here is only 10 or 20 centimeters deep and 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:03.270 that very chalky soil, very low fertility, very sharply drained, 0:01:03.270 --> 0:01:06.000 it drains really quickly. That's really what informs the type 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:09.930 of vegetation that we have, and that's what makes this 0:01:10.470 --> 0:01:14.160 habitat special because these types of soil conditions and rock 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:15.990 conditions are not found very commonly. 0:01:18.209 --> 0:01:21.690 We're heading to Castle Hill National Nature Reserve, which is 0:01:21.690 --> 0:01:25.170 looked after by Natural England, and I'm joining Ted and 0:01:25.170 --> 0:01:28.770 his team to collect wild seeds. Is this somewhere where 0:01:28.770 --> 0:01:32.970 you'd come see collecting a lot? Is this an annual pilgrimage? 0:01:33.450 --> 0:01:36.240 So, we've collected a lot of seed in Castle Hill 0:01:37.110 --> 0:01:40.020 in sites like this, because the chalk grassland supports an 0:01:40.020 --> 0:01:43.860 exceptionally diverse flora, and many of those species are highly 0:01:43.860 --> 0:01:48.570 specialized and quite rare. So, because we're often targeting threatened 0:01:48.570 --> 0:01:51.480 species, we're often found in places like this. 0:01:59.220 --> 0:02:03.150 The MSB's central mission is to gather wild seeds from 0:02:03.150 --> 0:02:06.660 across the globe, preserving them to safeguard the future of 0:02:06.660 --> 0:02:10.919 our planet. This work focuses on species under threat around 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:15.090 the world, often found in far- flung countries. However, you 0:02:15.090 --> 0:02:17.700 might be surprised to know that some of the species 0:02:17.700 --> 0:02:21.269 most in need of protection are much closer to home. 0:02:21.690 --> 0:02:26.580 It's just magnificent. It's so wide and open and there's a big smudge 0:02:26.580 --> 0:02:28.410 of red down there though poppies. 0:02:28.410 --> 0:02:30.270 Yeah, we're going to get a close- up view of 0:02:30.270 --> 0:02:31.440 these beautiful poppies. 0:02:31.860 --> 0:02:37.740 But just as important as place is time. In seed 0:02:37.740 --> 0:02:42.930 collecting, timing is everything. What we're hoping for today is that 0:02:42.930 --> 0:02:47.010 our visit coincides with the precise moment the seeds are 0:02:47.010 --> 0:02:49.770 ready to be gathered, so that we can follow their 0:02:49.770 --> 0:02:54.090 journey as they're carefully processed and then stored for safekeeping 0:02:54.330 --> 0:02:57.330 in the vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst. 0:02:59.220 --> 0:03:03.720 I am Cate Blanchett, Kew's ambassador for Wakehurst, and this 0:03:03.870 --> 0:03:09.480 is Unearthed: The need for seeds. Episode two, the present. 0:03:12.660 --> 0:03:14.400 So, we need to get through this gate. 0:03:14.669 --> 0:03:19.290 Yeah, I can do it. It's the gate etiquette. You 0:03:19.290 --> 0:03:23.010 learn that in Australia very quickly. Oh, I see those 0:03:23.010 --> 0:03:23.760 two bars there. 0:03:24.060 --> 0:03:27.720 So, the last thing we want is off- road bikes, off- 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.929 road vehicles coming into the reserve and destroying the habitat, 0:03:30.930 --> 0:03:33.720 which would just happen so easily. You can imagine these 0:03:33.750 --> 0:03:37.619 habitats takes centuries or millennia to evolve, but only seconds 0:03:37.620 --> 0:03:38.250 to destroy. 0:03:38.250 --> 0:03:41.550 Yes, yeah. Gosh, there's this team flowers, isn't it? 0:03:41.550 --> 0:03:41.610 Yeah. 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:44.041 They're heavy. 0:03:44.041 --> 0:03:52.830 They are heavier. Are you okay with that? And then you twist it at the top. That's 0:03:52.830 --> 0:03:55.501 it. Oh, great. Okay. 0:03:55.501 --> 0:03:55.502 Here we go. 0:03:55.501 --> 0:04:01.650 Okay. In we go. 0:04:03.270 --> 0:04:06.270 We pass through multiple gates and descend into a valley. 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.990 It's wildly overgrown with shrubs and vegetation encroaching on the 0:04:09.990 --> 0:04:13.530 track. And then as we lurch around a corner, the 0:04:13.530 --> 0:04:17.850 tree's clear and I'm greeted with the most beautiful vista. 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:24.299 Oh my goodness, this is magnificent. It looks so ancient 0:04:24.900 --> 0:04:27.390 because the hills are just given away to a flat 0:04:27.660 --> 0:04:32.130 plane. It's got a smattering of poppies. And what's the 0:04:32.130 --> 0:04:35.250 yellow? Is that this grass... Man, it's so beautiful. It's 0:04:35.250 --> 0:04:38.580 almost like someone's taken a brush with a thousand colours. 0:04:39.300 --> 0:04:42.839 Yes, yeah. So, the reserve is on these steep hillsides 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:44.310 and then at the bottom of the valley, we've got 0:04:44.310 --> 0:04:47.550 this flatter area with deeper soils. And then we've got 0:04:47.550 --> 0:04:50.430 this wash of poppies. So, beautiful. 0:04:50.730 --> 0:04:53.099 Something out of The Wizard of Oz. So, if you find 0:04:53.100 --> 0:04:56.610 me asleep in there, rescue me. 0:04:57.270 --> 0:04:59.520 So, the slope ahead of us is where we're going 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:01.620 to be doing our harvesting today. And this is Castle 0:05:01.620 --> 0:05:02.700 Hill itself. 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:06.810 You mean the green quite vertiginous- looking slope ahead of 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:07.680 us that's got the... 0:05:07.830 --> 0:05:08.700 Exactly. So, we can see- 0:05:08.701 --> 0:05:08.702 The strawberry on the top. 0:05:08.702 --> 0:05:13.080 ... we've got the scrub at the top. We've got 0:05:13.140 --> 0:05:16.950 this arable field at the bottom. We've got this slightly 0:05:16.950 --> 0:05:21.539 flatter, rough bit in between. And that area was ploughed 0:05:21.540 --> 0:05:24.630 in the second world war. And that's why even now, 0:05:24.630 --> 0:05:28.289 it's still very different to the ancient short grassland, which 0:05:28.290 --> 0:05:29.250 is on the steep slope. 0:05:29.490 --> 0:05:31.710 And what was attempted to be grown there? 0:05:32.670 --> 0:05:34.890 That would've been crops for eating in that dig for 0:05:34.890 --> 0:05:38.790 victory effort. So, these soils are with chemical fertilizers, they're 0:05:38.790 --> 0:05:43.290 quite amenable to growing things like cereals, wheat, barley, flax. 0:05:43.410 --> 0:05:47.130 Now that farming ceased some decades ago, but even with 0:05:47.130 --> 0:05:50.460 decades of very careful management, you can see the grassland 0:05:50.460 --> 0:05:52.349 at the bottom of the slope is very different to 0:05:52.350 --> 0:05:53.490 the grasslands on the sides. 0:05:53.490 --> 0:05:55.350 It's really green and tufty. 0:05:55.470 --> 0:05:58.560 Yeah. So, that is good, but we don't want too 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:00.089 much of that. We need a good balance. 0:06:01.260 --> 0:06:04.770 So, what makes this spot so special apart from its 0:06:04.770 --> 0:06:05.820 incredible beauty? 0:06:06.029 --> 0:06:09.630 It's really the quality of the chalk grassland. So, we're 0:06:09.630 --> 0:06:11.310 going to be in one of the nicest patches in 0:06:11.310 --> 0:06:15.150 just a second. You'll see the diversity of species and they're 0:06:15.300 --> 0:06:18.000 all tiny weeny because it's so infertile, but there are 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:21.000 many, many species packed in. So, we can record 40 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.480 or more species in a square metre here. So, this 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:27.870 is one of the most plant- diverse habitats in Western 0:06:27.870 --> 0:06:31.560 Europe on this small scale. So, it's really special floristically 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.200 and it's of course the vegetation then supports the butterflies, 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.049 the other invertebrates, the birds that are associated with the 0:06:37.050 --> 0:06:41.070 invertebrates and so forth. So, that's really why this is 0:06:41.070 --> 0:06:42.180 such a special place. 0:06:44.670 --> 0:06:47.700 After a quick safety briefing from Ted and his colleague, 0:06:47.730 --> 0:06:52.410 Isabel Negri, UK Conservation projects officer at the MSB, we start 0:06:52.410 --> 0:06:55.830 to clamber up the hill. We wade through some tall 0:06:55.830 --> 0:06:59.100 grasses at the bottom, but they soon thin out. There's 0:07:00.330 --> 0:07:04.500 so many varieties of plants and I'm sure a myriad 0:07:04.500 --> 0:07:07.529 of insects all thriving underneath my feet. 0:07:07.740 --> 0:07:10.680 We try to tread lightly in habitats like this where 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:15.420 we can. So, we've got into the chalk grassland. It's 0:07:15.420 --> 0:07:16.050 very low. 0:07:17.130 --> 0:07:18.120 And not as dense. 0:07:18.150 --> 0:07:22.440 Much, much less dense. And if you start looking into 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.190 the sword, you can see there are lots of different species, different 0:07:26.190 --> 0:07:30.450 grasses, different species, and they're all little thistle there, a little bedstraw 0:07:30.450 --> 0:07:36.690 there, all growing intermeshed, one with another. And underneath, you can 0:07:36.690 --> 0:07:40.890 see it now looking very dry and droughty this grey soil. 0:07:40.890 --> 0:07:44.489 That's the very chalky alkaline soil. So, this site is 0:07:44.490 --> 0:07:48.450 grazed by cattle. Grazing is essential because without the grazing 0:07:48.900 --> 0:07:51.780 this would revert through scrub to woodland and the grassland 0:07:51.780 --> 0:07:54.060 would be lost. So, that sustained grazing at the right 0:07:54.060 --> 0:07:58.110 level over centuries and centuries is what has created and 0:07:58.110 --> 0:07:59.130 maintained this landscape. 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.400 As Ted started pointing out different plants, I began to 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.940 think I was getting rather good at spotting unusual species. 0:08:06.270 --> 0:08:07.470 I should work at the MSB. 0:08:07.860 --> 0:08:12.150 Let's head up. We'll find... There's always so much to see. 0:08:12.330 --> 0:08:14.490 Yes. It's hard not to get waylaid. 0:08:14.580 --> 0:08:14.970 Yeah. 0:08:14.970 --> 0:08:15.660 What's that little? 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.351 That is rabbit poo. 0:08:19.351 --> 0:08:21.780 Oh, great. I might put that in my pocket 0:08:21.780 --> 0:08:23.130 So, we don't aim to collect that. 0:08:23.130 --> 0:08:28.440 We can use it later. Chocolate covered rabbit poo. Here I 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:34.620 was, thinking I'd found a rare seed rabbit poo. Clearly, 0:08:34.620 --> 0:08:38.610 I'm not going to get a job at Wakehurst. After 0:08:38.610 --> 0:08:42.270 my identification of the rabbit poo, we continued up the 0:08:42.270 --> 0:08:45.420 hill making our way towards some orange markers. 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:50.490 So, these markers mark out where we've got a really lovely 0:08:50.490 --> 0:08:53.550 population of yellow rattle. So, yellow rattle is what we've 0:08:53.550 --> 0:08:55.200 come here to collect today. 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:57.690 And what's so important about the yellow rattle? 0:08:58.380 --> 0:09:03.210 So, yellow rattle is a semi- parasitic species. So, that 0:09:03.210 --> 0:09:06.660 means it produces its own food, but it also parasitizes 0:09:06.660 --> 0:09:10.050 other species growing with it. And that means it reduces 0:09:10.050 --> 0:09:12.990 their vigor. And that makes it quite important in this 0:09:12.990 --> 0:09:16.679 habitat, because it helps balance the really vigorous species against 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:19.260 the more delicate species and allows those more delicate species 0:09:19.260 --> 0:09:23.280 to thrive. So, it's really very important for the kind 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:24.691 of function of the plants growing here. 0:09:24.691 --> 0:09:25.590 It's a regulator. 0:09:25.620 --> 0:09:29.850 It's a regulator, like a community engineer almost. It's found 0:09:29.850 --> 0:09:33.690 in a lot of grassland sites. We specifically need to 0:09:33.690 --> 0:09:35.760 collect it now because we've used quite a lot of 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:39.600 the collection that we have for research work that we've 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:44.160 done looking at the germination needs of this species. So, 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.410 yellow rattle is actually a species which has a very 0:09:46.410 --> 0:09:50.819 narrow temperature window in which it can germinate. And so, 0:09:50.910 --> 0:09:52.980 we've done some work and Isabel has been involved in 0:09:52.980 --> 0:09:56.790 this to work out exactly what the minimum and maximum 0:09:56.790 --> 0:10:00.059 temperature range that yellow rattle needs. And then we model 0:10:00.059 --> 0:10:02.610 that against climate change. So, we think in 50 years' 0:10:02.610 --> 0:10:06.270 time, will the climate still provide the conditions that yellow 0:10:06.270 --> 0:10:09.900 rattle and other species need to germinate? So, many species 0:10:09.900 --> 0:10:13.469 are resilient and they will be able to regenerate successfully 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.559 in a warm climate. But yellow rattle is an example 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.530 of a species which is quite vulnerable, because it needs 0:10:19.530 --> 0:10:24.449 cold winter conditions to break dormancy and germinate. So, it's 0:10:24.450 --> 0:10:27.360 important to understand that and start thinking about how we 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:31.410 can manage grasslands and restoration projects to counter that and 0:10:31.650 --> 0:10:35.220 build adaptation and make sure this particularly important species survives. 0:10:36.390 --> 0:10:39.929 So, we've used seed to support that research, so we 0:10:39.929 --> 0:10:42.330 need to replenish that seed in the seed bank. So, we've got it 0:10:42.330 --> 0:10:44.670 for next time. So, the first thing we're going to 0:10:44.670 --> 0:10:46.620 do is find similar rattle and take a look at 0:10:46.620 --> 0:10:50.610 it. Some specimens here. 0:10:50.610 --> 0:10:54.870 It's got a sort of a reddish brown stem with almost like 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.329 two little pods, green pods. 0:10:57.390 --> 0:11:04.770 That's right. Yeah. Will it rattle? That's the seed rattling 0:11:04.770 --> 0:11:06.480 around and that's how it gets its name. 0:11:06.540 --> 0:11:08.400 So, you want to collect them when they're dried? 0:11:08.429 --> 0:11:10.830 Exactly right. So, we want to collect seed at the 0:11:10.830 --> 0:11:13.800 point of natural dispersal. So, that's when it's being dispersed 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:17.910 into the environment. That's when it's mature, it's when its 0:11:17.910 --> 0:11:19.830 longevity. So, the amount of time it will be able to 0:11:19.830 --> 0:11:22.020 survive in the seed bank is at its greatest. 0:11:22.500 --> 0:11:25.860 It struck me as almost paradoxical that we were gathering 0:11:25.860 --> 0:11:29.280 seeds from the very habitat where I just learned how 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:33.540 vital they are as nature's own community engineers. But Ted 0:11:33.540 --> 0:11:37.110 and his team work by a clear principle. You never 0:11:37.110 --> 0:11:39.690 take more than 20% of the seeds in the field. 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:43.350 Each of the pods are filled with tiny seeds. And 0:11:43.350 --> 0:11:46.830 so, our collection begins with some counting. 0:11:50.490 --> 0:11:54.240 Okay, I make that 25 in my patch. 0:11:55.170 --> 0:11:56.730 There's quite a lot here actually. 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:58.050 How many did you find? 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:02.520 I think about between 35 and 40 in a square meter. 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:02.910 Oh. 0:12:02.939 --> 0:12:09.030 Okay. Yeah, we average at about 20 plants per square meter. 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:11.160 And a little bit of maths. 0:12:11.490 --> 0:12:13.350 I've crunched the numbers and I can tell you that 0:12:13.350 --> 0:12:16.950 we have approximately 1. 4 million seeds in our sampling 0:12:16.950 --> 0:12:19.230 area here of yellow rattle. 0:12:19.230 --> 0:12:19.530 Yeah, down. 0:12:20.190 --> 0:12:22.470 There's always tonnes more seed than you think there is. 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:26.190 And just before we start collecting, there's one more important step. 0:12:26.250 --> 0:12:28.319 If you've got some seed in your hand, Isabel- 0:12:28.530 --> 0:12:28.530 Yes. 0:12:28.530 --> 0:12:30.390 ... shall we see if we can do a cut test? 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:34.319 Yeah. I'll pass it to Kate. There you go. 0:12:34.620 --> 0:12:37.830 A cut test is used to determine whether the seeds 0:12:37.860 --> 0:12:38.880 are of good quality. 0:12:39.210 --> 0:12:40.290 So, I'm going to give you the tools of the 0:12:40.290 --> 0:12:43.260 trade. So, some snips, just watch yourself. 0:12:43.410 --> 0:12:45.059 Little, they're very sharp scissors. 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:50.730 And so, the question is, can you grip that seed 0:12:50.730 --> 0:12:54.330 in the end of your fingertips? Carefully slice off the top. 0:12:54.390 --> 0:12:56.040 Am I going into the dark part of the seed? 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.819 In the dark part, yeah, right through the middle. Nice. And then I'll give you that 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:02.309 lens. And then if you hold up joy and then 0:13:02.309 --> 0:13:04.530 have a look, see if you can see- 0:13:05.460 --> 0:13:05.491 Oh gosh. 0:13:05.491 --> 0:13:10.081 ... anything white and flowery in there. 0:13:10.081 --> 0:13:12.870 Well, on the edge of the seed, there's a tiny bit 0:13:12.870 --> 0:13:17.070 of... It almost looks like someone's moved to a white pencil 0:13:18.420 --> 0:13:19.620 along the edge of it. 0:13:19.770 --> 0:13:20.731 That's probably what it will look like is like... 0:13:20.731 --> 0:13:20.940 Do you want to check? 0:13:20.940 --> 0:13:24.480 It will look like a little white, 0:13:24.929 --> 0:13:28.230 Little tiny little dots. You see? 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:30.660 So, that's the end of sperm of the seed. It's its 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:33.330 food store. So, sometimes we can also see the embryo, 0:13:33.330 --> 0:13:36.360 which is the little seedling waiting to come out. And if we 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:38.490 can see those things, it gives a clue that the seed 0:13:38.490 --> 0:13:40.770 has got the potential to germinate. We don't know if 0:13:40.770 --> 0:13:44.040 it definitely will, but it potentially could. If it's empty 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:47.100 or moldy or there's a grub, then we know it's 0:13:47.100 --> 0:13:50.130 not good. So, the cut test is a really important 0:13:50.130 --> 0:13:53.640 way we go about in the field just assessing the 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:57.809 likely quality of the seed. Yep. That seed's good. Yep. 0:13:58.470 --> 0:14:01.260 So, yellow rattles, it's a very thin seed. 0:14:01.380 --> 0:14:03.329 Yes. And the bulk of it's dark. 0:14:03.330 --> 0:14:08.010 And the bulk of it's dark. But those white flowery bits tell me that that 0:14:08.010 --> 0:14:11.250 seed is good. So, we've cut tested five in total, 0:14:11.250 --> 0:14:12.870 four of which were good and one of which was 0:14:12.870 --> 0:14:15.570 not good. So, we could say for the purposes of 0:14:15.570 --> 0:14:22.050 our collection today, that about 80% of the seed here 0:14:22.350 --> 0:14:26.460 is full and good. So, what I would do now 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:30.000 is I'm going to take my 1. 4 million seeds 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.210 in this whole population. I'm going to work out 80% 0:14:33.210 --> 0:14:39.360 of that. So, you've got 1, 120,000 approximately good seed 0:14:39.420 --> 0:14:42.690 in the population. But our absolute maximum that we could 0:14:42.690 --> 0:14:48.090 collect here is only 20% of that seed, which is 224, 0:14:48.540 --> 0:14:50.880 000 seed. So, there's tons of seed here. We don't 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:53.250 need worry about depleting the natural population. 0:14:53.820 --> 0:14:58.380 Over one million seeds are available here, an astonishing number. 0:14:58.590 --> 0:15:00.780 To make our conservation collection, we're going to want to 0:15:00.780 --> 0:15:02.910 get 25 heads each because there are three of us 0:15:02.910 --> 0:15:06.090 collecting today. So, we're pretty much ready to go. 0:15:06.330 --> 0:15:09.810 We fan out, walking slowly, each of us following our 0:15:09.810 --> 0:15:13.380 own line in parallel with one another gathering as we go. 0:15:13.740 --> 0:15:17.400 We're walking towards that orange marker. It's fine if we 0:15:17.670 --> 0:15:19.440 wave around a little bit. It doesn't have to be 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:21.390 a dead straight line, but it just means that we'll 0:15:21.390 --> 0:15:23.520 cover the whole area between us. 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:29.700 This is when seed collecting gets competitive. I'm trying to 0:15:29.700 --> 0:15:31.080 get a lot of heads. There we go. 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:36.390 Don't be tempted to just collect the pretty ones. 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:36.720 No. 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:37.980 You want the ugly ones too. 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:43.500 No, that's a different one. Yeah, it hasn't got so 0:15:43.500 --> 0:15:49.500 many heads on it. These ones are really rattley. I 0:15:49.500 --> 0:15:53.220 may have felt slightly competitive, but ultimately, this is a 0:15:53.220 --> 0:15:54.150 team sport. 0:15:54.270 --> 0:15:55.020 You've actually done it. 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:55.561 Have I? 0:15:55.561 --> 0:15:56.310 How many have you got? 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:58.470 I think I've got about 25. 0:15:58.740 --> 0:15:59.760 Okay. All right. 0:16:00.060 --> 0:16:01.560 I think I've got about 13. 0:16:01.830 --> 0:16:02.130 Okay. 0:16:02.550 --> 0:16:03.330 Do I get the job? 0:16:03.660 --> 0:16:03.840 Yeah. 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.520 The yellow rattle heads are scooped up into a bag, 0:16:08.700 --> 0:16:12.239 carefully labeled and a specimen is pressed. This part of 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:15.030 the process is now complete. So, once we've collected the 0:16:15.030 --> 0:16:18.540 seeds, what happens now? Where do we go? Where do 0:16:18.540 --> 0:16:19.950 these little seeds travel? 0:16:19.950 --> 0:16:22.920 So, those seeds would be returned as quickly as possible 0:16:23.070 --> 0:16:26.340 to the drying room at the Millennium Seed Bank. And 0:16:26.340 --> 0:16:29.670 that's where they'll start their drying and can begin their 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:33.000 journey through being cleaned and tested and ultimately banked. 0:16:34.590 --> 0:16:42.270 Come on little seeds. Later, I'll be going inside the 0:16:42.270 --> 0:16:45.240 MSB to see what happens to the seeds when they 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:50.310 arrive at Wakehurst. Collections like this are essential to the 0:16:50.310 --> 0:16:53.580 work of the Millennium Seed Bank, but they're carried out 0:16:53.610 --> 0:16:57.390 not just on its doorstep, but also in collaboration with 0:16:57.390 --> 0:17:01.980 partner organisations all over the world. With a global network 0:17:01.980 --> 0:17:07.109 across nearly 100 countries, the MSB works with experts to 0:17:07.109 --> 0:17:11.401 help inform projects that will save biodiversity in myriad places. 0:17:11.401 --> 0:17:18.780 I am Nattanit Yiamthaisong. I am a PhD student in Chiang 0:17:18.780 --> 0:17:25.320 Mai University. I'm working with FORRU, which is Forest Restoration Research 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:31.290 Unit or in Thai name we call, Nuay Wichai Fuenfu Pa. FORRU and 0:17:31.710 --> 0:17:36.270 MSB is like we are the partnership for collaboration around more 0:17:36.270 --> 0:17:41.460 than 25 years. FORRU do the research about the restoration 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.960 and we collect the seeds for sent to the MSB and I 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:49.650 am the small part in the team for collect the seeds to send 0:17:49.650 --> 0:17:50.190 it here. 0:17:50.790 --> 0:17:53.970 Nattanit is spending three months at the MSB as part 0:17:53.970 --> 0:17:58.710 of her PhD studying how varying temperatures influence seed germination. 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:03.570 We want to know if the climate change or the global warming in the 0:18:03.570 --> 0:18:08.760 future, the temperature will increase is maybe effect with the seed 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:14.310 and germination of the seed. We want to know if 0:18:14.310 --> 0:18:17.730 the temperature increases effect with the seed or not. For two species from Thailand 0:18:18.180 --> 0:18:22.109 in different temperature from five to 45 degrees Celsius. 0:18:22.530 --> 0:18:24.960 She has come to the Millennium Seed Bank to access 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:26.760 equipment she doesn't have in Thailand. 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:31.230 I would like to learn about everything here because everything 0:18:31.230 --> 0:18:34.230 is new thing for me. In Thailand, we have a 0:18:34.230 --> 0:18:39.300 lot of limitation because we don't have enough incubator, we 0:18:39.300 --> 0:18:42.750 don't have enough machine to handle with the seed. Then I have 0:18:42.750 --> 0:18:46.800 to come here to use the facility, use the machine 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:52.500 here. It's like a x- ray machine, aspirator or the incubator 0:18:52.619 --> 0:18:56.100 that I have to germinate the seed. After I finished 0:18:56.160 --> 0:19:00.869 the germination here, I have to analyze it in Thailand. 0:19:01.619 --> 0:19:05.850 Nattanit's research allows us to understand how different seed species 0:19:05.970 --> 0:19:10.440 respond to shifting temperatures. Knowledge that could guide us in 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.730 choosing the right seeds to use for future restoration. Her 0:19:14.730 --> 0:19:18.000 work was made possible by an MSB project called the 0:19:18.000 --> 0:19:22.590 Western Global Tree Seed Bank. Nattanit says that their funding 0:19:22.619 --> 0:19:25.680 has inspired and opened new doors for her career. 0:19:26.010 --> 0:19:29.430 The scholarship or the fund for the student is so 0:19:29.430 --> 0:19:32.820 good for Thai student or every student who do the 0:19:32.820 --> 0:19:39.000 research for approve the research and for learn the new things. And 0:19:39.060 --> 0:19:43.980 everyone here is so nice. I like everything here. And the 0:19:44.220 --> 0:19:49.260 machine is so good, it's so new. I think the 0:19:49.260 --> 0:19:54.210 MSB and the Seed Bank is like a treasure in the future for everyone. It's like a 0:19:54.210 --> 0:19:58.470 hope for everyone in the future, because we don't know what 0:19:58.470 --> 0:20:02.730 happened in the future, right? If we have the result 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:05.730 in my hand, we can do anything in the future. 0:20:06.510 --> 0:20:11.010 Once collected, the seeds must be carefully processed to ensure 0:20:11.010 --> 0:20:14.609 that they survive in the seed bank so that researchers 0:20:14.609 --> 0:20:17.790 both here at Wakehurst and around the world can use them 0:20:17.790 --> 0:20:21.990 for study or habitat restoration. It's a meticulous and time- 0:20:21.990 --> 0:20:27.869 consuming process. So, not many people get to do this. 0:20:27.869 --> 0:20:31.290 I've been invited inside the lab in the Millennium Seed 0:20:31.290 --> 0:20:33.930 Bank to get a better understanding of how the seeds 0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:38.250 are actually banked. And showing me around is seed curator, 0:20:39.030 --> 0:20:40.260 Sian McCabe. Hello, Sian. 0:20:40.350 --> 0:20:40.350 Hi, nice to meet you. 0:20:40.350 --> 0:20:45.179 Hi. Hey, hey. Can you explain what are we going 0:20:45.180 --> 0:20:48.210 to do today? Oh, is that to clean my feet? 0:20:48.210 --> 0:20:50.250 Yeah, yeah. Just to make sure you're not bringing any- 0:20:50.250 --> 0:20:50.399 There we go. 0:20:50.399 --> 0:20:50.761 ... outdoor. 0:20:50.761 --> 0:20:58.200 Everything's nice and squeaky clean. Biosecurity is important at the MSB. So, 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:00.180 I slip on a lab coat. Very official. 0:21:00.570 --> 0:21:05.129 This is where the magic happens. We've stepped into the cleaning 0:21:05.130 --> 0:21:09.270 lab, the space where every single seed is carefully freed 0:21:09.270 --> 0:21:12.359 from dust and debris and seeds that are empty or 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:16.290 infested are removed. But before they're cleaned, there's a very 0:21:16.290 --> 0:21:17.730 important stop they have to make. 0:21:18.090 --> 0:21:20.400 So, this looks like a freezer, but it's more like 0:21:20.400 --> 0:21:21.060 a sauna. 0:21:21.420 --> 0:21:27.900 So, it's 18 degrees Celsius and 15% relative humidity. And 0:21:27.900 --> 0:21:32.460 this is really important because with every 1% a seed 0:21:32.460 --> 0:21:36.990 is dried, it can double the lifespan of the seed. 0:21:37.200 --> 0:21:39.480 And then what do you do with say, a recalcitrant 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:42.359 seed? So, the seeds that won't withstand the drying process. 0:21:42.359 --> 0:21:47.369 Yep. So, we have other different humidity rooms. So, this 0:21:47.369 --> 0:21:49.350 one is at 70%, so we... 0:21:49.350 --> 0:21:49.350 Quite a big difference humidity. 0:21:49.351 --> 0:21:50.940 So, yeah. 0:21:51.510 --> 0:21:54.149 Sian told me that 90% of the seeds collected are 0:21:54.150 --> 0:21:58.020 what we call orthodox. And those orthodox seeds can withstand 0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:03.540 normal drying and freezing processes. The remaining 10% can't. 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:06.389 We know not to put them into the dry room 0:22:06.780 --> 0:22:07.619 and to treat them regarding... 0:22:07.619 --> 0:22:10.469 And what's an example of a non- orthodox seed like that? 0:22:11.220 --> 0:22:14.580 They tend to be food, so quite yummy. So, we've 0:22:14.580 --> 0:22:19.320 got avocado and I wouldn't recommend eating it, but acorns 0:22:19.470 --> 0:22:23.730 are recalcitrant. So, they're just a few examples. So, there's 0:22:23.730 --> 0:22:23.850 the door. 0:22:23.850 --> 0:22:23.851