Taiwan has a doomsday vault that houses the genetic samples of 75,000 cultivars of crops, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute said on Thursday.
Established in 1993, the National Plant Genetic Resources Information System is the sole national-level seed bank that serves as a genetic repository for grain, vegetables and fruits grown in Taiwan, Plant Germplasm Division Director Chen Shu (陳述) said.
The purpose of the seed bank is to preserve genetic resources including seeds and other parts of plants that are foundational to agriculture and facilitate research on enhancing crops, he said.
Designed with temperature and humidity controls, the facility’s vaults ensure the stored plant samples would survive disasters ranging from earthquakes to war, Chen said.
The system has 100,000 individual samples in short, medium and long-term storage units, with the last being able to preserve materials for 100 years, he said.
PROTECTION
The low temperature of the facility necessitates assigned personnel to wear protective suits while working on site, he said, adding that the samples were obtained from government research centers and academic institutions nationwide.
The facility uses manual inspection to guarantee that every grain of a seed sample is fully mature, and free of damage and disease, Chen said.
Following selection, the samples undergo dehumidification to reduce the seed moisture content to less than 7 percent, are tested for viability, packaged and put into storage, he said, adding that the typical processing time for a sample varies from one to three months.
Nearly every plant that conceivably can be found on the dining tables of Taiwanese is in the collection, including some that are unique or proprietary to the nation, he said.
Heat-resistant rice grown in the southernmost regions of the world, upland rice, millet and djulis that are essential to indigenous culture, and fruits of deciduous trees cultivated specifically to resist climate change are among the genetic resources in the repository, Chen said.
The collection includes indigenous vegetables and flax developed to become a substitute for artificial polymer fibers, he said.
DEEP COMPOUND
The facility has been hardened against military strikes due to the nation being under the menace of war, said Wei Chu-kai (魏趨開), an associate technical specialist at the division.
The seed bank is in the deepest part of a compound surrounded on all sides by tall office buildings, which would mitigate the damage to the facility if it is targeted by a deliberate attack, he said.
Meanwhile, the Council of Agriculture announced a three-year strategy budgeted at NT$26.8 billion (US$872 million) to make the agricultural sector more resilient and improve national food security.
The measures include building infrastructure to improve the supply, management and transportation of water resources, encouraging the application of smart technology in agriculture and a program to reduce food waste, it said.
The implementation of the policies is to begin on Aug. 1 to coincide with a ceremony marking the council’s upgrade to the Ministry of Agriculture, it said.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor
RSS