GUIDELINES 4 - Florabank

1 GUIDELINES . KEEPING RECORDS 4. O N N AT I V E S E E D. Revegetation is a long-term undertaking keeping records about native seed to a basic and measuring success is an ongoing task. standard, whatever your budget or resources. We need to know the origin and treatment If you have just begun to collect, store or use of seed which has contributed to successful native plant seed, there is enough practical revegetation and that which has led to guidance for you to decide what records you failure. As time passes after planting, initial should keep and how best to keep them, description and documentation about the whether by hand or computer.

2 If you are a seed used becomes increasingly important more experienced operator, there is in understanding the reasons for success or information on a wide range of record failure. Much of what we know about seeds categories, records management by is the result of meticulous record keeping: computer, a seedbank management software from identification of the parent plant and package offer and a free interactive seed seed collection, through storage, to use in holdings database on the Internet. the nursery or field. This is especially true In Australia we know too little about our where more than one person is involved at native plants; there is great need for sharing various stages of handling the seeds or information.

3 This guideline offers no where knowledge has been accumulated encouragement to those who insist on over time. While scientific techniques for keeping important information about native evaluating genetic quality and origin are seed in their heads. We would all much developing rapidly, good record keeping prefer that you find the time to write it can tell us a great deal without the use of down and here's how. expensive and complicated equipment. After looking at record keeping systems across Australia, we developed this guideline to provide recommendations for Why keep records?

4 Revegetation work is time consuming and how well a species or provenance is labour intensive, and we need to be sure represented by seed collected that we are deriving maximum benefit whether certain seed can be obtained from the work carried out. Experience through collectors needs to be passed on and best practices refined to ensure a greater frequency of which species occur at a location success. Records of all aspects of the which species may be harvested at a operation from initial seed collection to certain time planting and tending should be kept for which lots of seed were collected from future practitioners to learn from and for locations where environmental reference.

5 This guideline deals with the conditions match those of particular early stages of this chain from seed planting sites collection to seed sowing. what the potential performance of the The information records of a native seed resulting plant may be when used at collection and supply operation are a other planting sites valuable resource, especially where they involve complete coverage of a local area or how to draw up seed lists for those region. Commercial seed suppliers and developing tender specifications for larger community seedbank operators value collect and supply contracts.

6 Their records highly and, at the very least, There are important considerations in seed use them in advising customers about such collection and storage operations that may matters as: only be determined when good records are what stock of seed of specific species or kept. Origin records such as exact provenances is available location, collector, timing and resources 2 G UIDELINE 4: KEEPING RECORDS ON NATIVE SEED. required for collection allow future can affect viability and germination. These collections to be made from the same effects can be traced if records of the location and to be better planned.

7 Species practices applied to each seedlot are kept. and stock in hand records are important as A system of quality assurance needs to trace operations expand or develop a large the practices applied to each seedlot to throughput of seed. maintain standards and to guarantee viability and ability to germinate. The quality of seedlots is determined initially by recording the number of parent Records of amounts dispatched, to whom plants (or the exact plants) sampled at a and for what purpose provide an collection site. This indicates how well the understanding of the client base for the genetic variation is covered.

8 Records of operation and assist with planning. In any viability and germination tests provide the seedbank it is critical that one person takes other main measures of seed quality. Seed responsibility for ensuring documentation processing, handling and storage practices standards are maintained. Good record keeping A good standard of record keeping need is easily accessible and understood by its not be costly or complicated. It is (often many) users foremost about ensuring that essential is trusted by its users to have accurate records are habitually kept on all seed and useful information collected and stored, rather than prescribing how they are kept, although provides for quick data entry in the this is also important.

9 Good record field and back at your storage base keeping requires that you develop a is easily interrogated by users to extract system and stick to it. Smaller seed critical information operations can manage quite well with handwritten records. As operations is robust and long lasting increase in scale, there is a greater need for has a clear set of standards for use and efficiency and consistency in records administration of the system that users management. This is where computers are required to meet become a viable and justifiable tool. has the flexibility to make notes and A good record keeping system is one that: comments.

10 Record keeping pathway GUIDELINE 4: KEEPING RECORDS ON NATIVE SEED 3. A seedlot numbering system The basic unit of collection and record called an accession number. This number keeping is the seedlot. A seedlot is a unique allows the passage of a seedlot through a batch of seed of one species from one seedbank to be easily traced and acts as a key location. Typically, a sequential field reference for all records about that seed. collection number prefixed with the This is particularly important where there collector's initials is allocated in the field by are many accessions or a number of different the collector.