sêmen

Sämen is a term that refers to the practice of collecting and storing seeds. This process is crucial for various reasons, including preserving biodiversity, ensuring food security, and facilitating scientific research. Seed banks, which are specialized facilities, are established to safeguard genetic material from a wide range of plant species. These institutions play a vital role in protecting endangered plants and maintaining genetic diversity for future agricultural and ecological needs.

The collection of sämen typically involves harvesting mature seeds from plants in their natural habitats or from cultivated varieties. These seeds are then cleaned, dried, and stored under controlled conditions, usually at low temperatures and low humidity, to maximize their viability and longevity. The specific storage methods can vary depending on the species and the intended use of the seeds.

Sämen collection and storage are essential for crop improvement programs, allowing scientists to access a diverse pool of genetic resources for breeding new varieties with desirable traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, or higher yields. It also serves as an insurance policy against catastrophic events that could threaten plant populations in the wild, such as natural disasters or widespread disease outbreaks. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, for example, is a prominent example of a facility designed to store backup copies of seeds from genebanks around the world.