VICUNA, Chile – The Vicu–a Experimental Farm boasts a membership as exclusive as the most discriminating clubs in the world
Overlooking a scenic valley of vineyards and orchards with the Andes mountains towering behind, the farm was set up to preserve the world’s rarest plant seeds.
Seeds stored here are said to be protected from the ravages of extreme temperatures, humidity and any other storms Mother Nature or humankind might conjure up for the next 50 years.
The main building on the farm is capable of storing up to 50,000 varieties of seeds, but only the world’s rarest varieties are granted admission. Less than two percent of the storage space is in use.
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One of a kind items
In addition to many rare seed varieties used around the world, the farm also stores 100 native plant varieties and old seed types that no longer exist outside special storage centres like this one.
These plant breeds have been pushed toward extinction because of desertification, deforestation, human settlement and erosion.
The Vicu–a Experimental Farm project was initiated in early 1989 by Japan and Chile. The site for the gene bank was chosen because of low humidity, isolation and low risk for earthquakes.
The Japanese government provided the initial money, facilities, technology and training so it could later get access to the material researched here. The Chilean agricultural ministry now covers the operating costs.
While there are three other seed bank research facilities in Chile doing similar research, the Vicu–a farm is the only one prepared for long-term storage and research.
Most of the seeds stored here are from South America and Europe, but there are others.
The farm has a diverse collection in storage, ranging from native potato varieties to extinct grasses. Cereal grains, grasses and fruits all find a home here.
Some of the seed varieties include 48 lines of tomatoes from Paraguay, four varieties of Argentinean peaches, five varieties of U.S. hazelnuts and 11 varieties of U.S. chestnuts.
There are also two varieties of grapevines from Canada. The farm boasts 2,085 corn varieties and 75 strawberry varieties.
Rescue from extinction
In efforts to help save some of the varieties near extinction, the farm has tried to domesticate some of the native species by planting them in a nearby field.
Every seed that enters the farm’s storage system is coded with a serial number. Researchers collect data containing specific details on each variety. The seed is then purified and tested for germination.
Seeds the experimental farm plans to resell are vacuum-sealed. Those marked for storage are prepared and placed in sterile chambers in unbreakable containers.
One of the chambers holds the seeds in a temperature of 4 C and a relative humidity of 30 percent for 15 days before the seeds are moved to a second chamber. There, the seeds are kept at -14 C and a 30 percent relative humidity.
