El Salvador has its Noah's ark to conserve native seeds

They are native seeds that have challenged climate change and, to support them, in El Salvador they decided to do a 'back up' for them. As Mario Parada, head of the project, says, “it is like a Noah's ark, but we don't carry animals but vegetables”. “We would use them in the future if we had a drought, disease or insect problem that could kill these plants. If that happens, we could take that seed from this Noah's ark and plant it in the field, ”explains Parada, an entomologist and plant pathologist trained at the University of Mississippi, United States. Crimson, green, yellow or deep purple beans are dried and collected in plastic containers, envelopes and special bags that keep them for at least 20 years, at the San Andrés experimental station, 34 km northwest of San Salvador. ALSO READ: Companies will invest $ 13.5 million in restoring ecosystems in San Salvador volcano The bank keeps "Creole seeds of 300 species", explains Parada, director of the Germplasm Bank of the state ...