NTSC TOPIC - Tree Seed Traits

The National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) is Canada’s only active national germplasm bank dedicated to conserving forest reproductive material (FRM), such as seeds, pollen, and somatic embryos. The NTSC was established in 1967 with a focus on obtaining, testing, storing, and providing native and exotic tree and shrub seeds of known origin for research and breeding. After ratifying the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, the mandate expanded to conserve the genetic diversity of all native tree species against in situ threats. The NTSC is currently located at the Atlantic Forestry Centre (Fredericton, New Brunswick), with facilities to store orthodox and exceptional species, including cryogenic storage. Moisture content and storage temperature are the two most important variables that impact seed longevity. Much of the collection is of species with orthodox seed behaviour, which can be dried and frozen for decades. Through in-house experiments and routine testing, protocols are developed and standardized to maximize the viability and vigour of all samples for end use. For more information, visit:…

Publisher

Natural Resources Canada

Resources

2

Catalogue metadata updated

2024-12-09