PRICELESS plant collections are being destroyed by cash-strapped seed banks
as they struggle to save money, claims a leading Dutch plant geneticist. Theo
van Hintum of the Centre for Genetic Resources in Wageningen says that
irreplaceable collections bequeathed by generations of farmers and professional
collectors are being stripped while the collection of new seeds has virtually
ceased.
According to van Hintum, the practice is widespread. But nobody publicises
it: “It is a kind of taboo,” he says, adding that budget-driven cutbacks could
have “major genetic consequences”, even including the loss of some genotypes or
complete populations. “It is dangerous,” he…
