Kioumars Ghamkhar depositing seeds at the Svalbard Global Seed Bank. Photo: AgResearch
For the first time seeds from Albania and Serbia have been added to New Zealand's Margot Forde Genebank.
The collection - based in Palmerston North - is home to more than 175,000 seed samples from more than 100 countries, and is one of the largest and most diverse in the world.
It plays a critical role in preserving plant genetic resources to support food security, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture.
Among the newly collected species, which are yet to arrive in New Zealand, are populations of ryegrass, clover, fescue, cocksfoot and herbs such as chicory.
With New Zealand summers getting hotter and drier the Bioeconomy Science Institute has collected these new samples because they originate from regions that have recently experienced severe drought.
It means they are valuable for developing varieties that can better withstand climate change here in Aotearoa.
Kioumars Ghamkhar is the Director of the Margot Forde Genebank.
Seed hunter Zane Webber examining potential specimens during the seed collecting mission in Albania. Photo: Supplied by Bioeconomy Science Limited
