Glossary

Crop wild relatives are the wild plants most closely related to agricultural crops. These undomesticated plants potentially possess useful traits/genes/alleles for crop improvement.

Cruciferous vegetables are from the Brassicaceae, or Cruciferae, and include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress, radishes, and bok choy.

Plant germplasm is the genetic, heritable material of a plant species or plant. Germplasm includes DNA, cells, tissues, seeds, pollen, other plant parts or whole plants.

A landrace is a local variety of a species of plant or animal that has distinctive characteristics arising from development and adaptation over time to localized conditions.  Typically landraces are more genetically diverse than varieties derived from formal breeding practices.

An accession identifier that includes data about the seed production, including year grown, location grown, and germplasm destination (which genebank it was produced for).

Seeds capable of conventional freezer storage, which is relatively inexpensive and highly accessible to many institutions

A propagule is a plant part, such as a bud, sucker, or spore, that becomes detached from the rest of the plant and is capable of growing into a new plant.

A seed that remains viable for only a short time, often 1 year or less, even under conditions that are commonly conducive to longevity. These seeds usually require colder temperatures and are relatively expensive to store.

Rematriation is a feminized reclamation, including the process, movement, and end goal by which Indigenous peoples reclaim their cultural (seed) heritages.

relative humidity

A screenhouse is a structure covered with screen instead of glass or other solid covering, used for propagating plants. Screens help provide barriers to cross contamination and other damage from insects and other pests.