The Seed Bank
A Seed Bank stores seeds of the US Virgin Islands in refrigeration to preserve genetic diversity; hence it is a type of gene bank.
There are many reasons to store seeds in a seed bank.
- To prevent the loss of genetic diversity in rare or endangered plant species in an effort to conserve biodiversity ex situ.
- The genes that plant breeders need to increase yield, disease resistance, drought tolerance, nutritional quality, taste, etc. of crops.
Seeds provided by community Seed Stewards will be preserved in the USVI Seed Bank at the St. George Village Botanical Garden.
If you are interested in being a community Seed Steward, contact
Dr. Michael Thomas at trees4STX@sgvbg.org