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Welcome to Seed collections from Cyprus

Last Monday 25th February 2013, the first batch from Cyprus arrived to the Millennium Seed Bank. Siân Wilson (from Technology and Conservation Department) and I opened the batch and we found 59 collections of endangered plant species. With the clean seeds have arrived the first germination test data of the project. It is amazing the diversity of sizes of the Mediterranean seeds from very tinny seeds like the seeds of Aizoon hispanicum to big ones like the seeds of Anagyris foetida.

The plastic bottles were opened and transferred to paper bags under an extraction hood as they have been treated with the pesticide Photoxin. They will be in the drying room until they will be store in the bank in the coming weeks. A duplicate of these collections is already store in the seed bank of The Agricultural Research Institute of Nicosia.

Seed collections from Cyprus in the extraction hood at the Millennium Seed Bank (Photo: Wolfgang Stuppy)

Germination test of three species collected in Cyprus

By: Constantinos Nikiforou

Photo 1 & 2: Pancratium maritimum. (Photo: C. Nikiforou)

In the photos it seems to enlarge the rootlet of species Pancratium maritimum. Species collected in the 2nd year of the project from the area Pachyammos Tyllirias in sandy, chalky or rocky coasts. Conditions of germination test that took place in April of 2013 was: substrate 1% agar, temperature 15^oC, light day/night 8/16 and humidity 60% Rh.

Germination test results (% success): 6%
2^nd germination test conditions (in progress): sand, temperature 15^oC, light day/night 8/16 and humidity 60% Rh.

Photo 3 & 4: Eryngium glomeratum. (Photo: C. Nikiforou)

The second photo shows species Eryngium glomeratum. Species collected in the 2nd year of the project from the area Tzelefou's bridge-Agios Nikolaos in an abandoned cultivated habitat. Conditions of germination test that took place in April 2013 was:

substrate 1% agar, temperature 15^oC, light day/night 8/16 and humidity 60% Rh.
Germination test results (% success): 22%
2^nd germination test conditions (in progress): 1% agar + gibberellins, temperature 15^oC, light day/night 8/16 and humidity 60% Rh.

Photo 5 & 6: Arbutus andrachne. (Photo: C. Nikiforou)

Finally, photos in the end of the page shows species Arbutus andrachne. Species collected in the 2nd year of the project from the area Selladi tou Staurou, to Foinoukli in forest and shrubland habitat. Conditions of germination test that took place in April 2013 was:substrate 1% agar, temperature 15^oC, light day/night 8/16 and humidity 60% Rh.

Germination test results (% success): 77%

Seeds collections from Cyprus arrived to the Millennium Seed Bank

Last week the first batch with seed collections, after the second seed collecting season of the project, have arrived to the Millennium Seed Bank. The partners from The Agricultural Research Institute Nicosia have sent 44 high quality seed collections. Most of them belong to endemic and threatened plant species like Arabis purpurea, Onobrychis venosa, Astragalus cyprius, Bupleurum sintenenisii, Silene laevigata, Allium cupani subsp. cyprium, Ranunculus kykkoensis or Gypsophila linearifolia.

The seeds were collected by the staff of the Cyprus Forest Association and few of them were collected by all the project partners during the joint field trip we did in July. The seeds have been cleaned and curated by the staff from The Agricultural Research Institute Nicosia.

During this second seed collecting season 406 collections from 329 species has been collected. Added to the species collected during the first year of the project represent 752 taxa. That means that we have achieved 83.5% of the project main goal.

We are looking forwards to receive the rest of the batches in the coming months.

Photo 1: Anna Pajdo from Conservation and Technology Section opening the batch with seed collections from Cyprus (Photo: W. Stuppy)

Photo 2: Seed collections from Cyprus (Photo: W. Stuppy)

Seminar in the Agricultural Research Institute presenting the program and the results from the project activities

By Constantinos Nikiforou

On the 17th of September 2014, a seminar was organised in the Agricultural Research Institute, which presented the program and the results from the project activities. The first presentation by Angelos Kyratzis focused on the project activities and on the partner’s profile. The second presentation by Takis Papachrystophorou was about the prioritization procedures followed for the selection of taxa and populations and for seed collecting. The third presentation by Constantinos Nikiforou was about the curation procedures, difficulties encountered during the project and how they have been overcome and on germination results. Many stakeholders attended the meeting, including conservation authorities, staff of the Department of Forests, NGOs active to conservation activities, researchers and staff of the Department of Agriculture. Stakeholders expressed their satisfaction with the results of the project, asked for access to information produced by the project such as cleaning procedures for some taxa, best germination conditions etc…, and expressed their interest in collaboration in the future. After the seminar, an informal meeting was organised with the participation of all stakeholders where a plan was agreed for exploring possibilities for applying for new projects with the involvement of all national agencies.

Presentations by (left to right) Angelos Kyratzis, Takis Papachrystophorou and Constantinos Nikiforou