A seed storage process：

As a "Seed Hunter"， we will first search for targets based on collection targets （the list） in the destination and assess population size as well as phenology. Whether the seed is mature， healthy， and full is closely related to the standard of seed quality. We will assess whether we can collect enough seed for the reservation of seed bank and demand for use under the circumstance that less interference are made to the population. Only after meeting the above assessment， will we start the collection. Our field work involves not only the wild specimen collection， but also evidence taken for seed habitat and record of the time of the field data. After collecting， seeds will be initially dried， cleaned etc. Besides of the seeds， primary collection objects also contain other experimental materials such as molecular biology experiments materials， living introduction of plants materials etc.

In the colorful collection activities in the field expedition， "Seed Hunter" often flashes of wisdom： we didnt have a basin at hand， so we opened an umbrella as the basin； in case we encounter the rain or snow， to protect tools， especially digital cameras and other equipment， collectors often wear a larger size outdoor jacket. If encountering rain and snow， we will upzip the jacket immediately and put the camera into the arms to protect people and machine at the same time.

In the wild collection activities， we need to take timely treatment of ripe berries - wash fruit， ventilate and dry them. Different berries have different approaches of treatment， collectors will adapt to local conditions wisely.

In the seed management work， receiving and registration of germplasm is the first procedure. In the early period of seeds recognition， you may not know how to do due to the lack of knowledge. When you understand the profound meaning， you will be suddenly enlightened and grasp the whole catalog.

If seed collectors did not submit in time the information and voucher specimens of species， this seed can only be received in abeyance. When receiving the same species of seeds again， with inventory or voucher specimens， after comparing， the previous problem can be solved.

Sometimes even mastering the seed specimen and information， we will need to inquire Flora. Then we realized that the situation was mistaken as seed mix， in fact， it was two forms of flower seeds were produced in two forms. For example， when receiving gold nodiflora seeds， we found that the seed shapes are different. Reviewing relevant literature， we know that the misjudged "seeds of two species，" are just caused by the atypia of the seeds of this species， which is a special phenomenon that the same plant seeds produce different shapes. Nature is truly full of wonders and has infinite mystery.

When we receive the seeds， we also need to pay attention to distinguish abortive seeds from fully developed seeds. For example， pericarpium citri reticulatae viride has two forms of seeds， one is fertile， and another is non-fertile. Abortive seeds actually are seeds turning solid and hard. When administrators experience this type of seeds， they cant completely determine the full rate through X- ray detection， and have to make a comprehensive judgment with cutting test results under a dissection microscope.

Perhaps in many eyes， conducting up to 10，000 seed germination experiments annually is a difficult and tedious job， but in our view， it is full of expectation and surprise. So far， we have done experiments of more than 7300 kinds of species， including the lotus which is clean though glowing in sullage， plum which blossoms alone against coldness， peony which is a national beauty and heavenly fragrance， willow which is made up by jasper and so on. Watching so many seedlings， makes people believe that those stocked in the seed bank are not a bunch of cold seeds， but a vibrant future.

Time required for seed germination vary widely for different species. It can be as short as about two hours for some species of salsola， while some species of Viburnum， Holly and some other species can germinate up to 1 year or more， which requires enough patience and carefulness. When you see the long-awaited seed germination， the joy will make people feel all is worthwhile.

Seed is the carrier of biological resources， a symbol of the continuity of life. The vast majority of plants can reproduce by seed. So， whether the existing 300，000 kinds of plants in the world can produce seeds， and can conserve in this way？ According to statistics， at least 7% of the species produce little or cannot yield seeds， up to more than 20，000 species of plants falling into this category， of which 10% of the species are endangered. For this part of plant germplasm resources， how should we reserve them？ In vitro library of China Germplasm Bank of wild species is an ideal home specifically built by scientists for the preservation of such species.

In vitro library mainly utilizes the in vitro conservation technology. According to the characteristics of totipotent of plant cell， it will adopt the processing method of constraining， suspending or stopping the growth of materials， such as plantlets， organ， tissue， cell or protoplast and other materials in the manner of tissue culture to conserve it. This is a medium and short-term conservation method for plant germplasm which requires less space and is manpower and material resources saving. It will facilitate the exchange of germplasm and can reproduce massively in a short term. "Living fossil" ferns and bamboo， staple for pandas， are germplasm resources targeted of in vitro plant libraries conservation.

Now our plant in vitro libraries have saved more than 1000 kinds of species， many of which are rare and endangered plants， under the state key protection， such as Maitreya dealbatus which is rediscovered after the disappearance of over 100 years etc. Dendrobium orchids known as "immortality"， is saved in the library for 30 years， described as "treasures of the library."

At present， the in vitro conservation work worldwide has focused on spheres of crops， medicinal plants and ornamental flowers while other aspects are still in the infancy.