Seed exploration and conservation in Alas Purwo National Park, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia

Seeds storage through Seed Bank can be viewed as a potential alternative vehicle for conservation of biological resources in general and ex situ conservation in particular in Botanical Gardens. However, there is not much that describes one by one the yield of collected seed, the morphological and storage properties, as well as the specific method of extraction to maintain optimal seed viability. The seed exploration activity aimed to increase the variety of seeds collection for the Seed Bank storage function in Purwodadi BG and to provide complete information about the collected seed. This research was conducted on April 15-27, 2019 in Alas Purwo National Park, Banyuwangi, East Java. The method used was an explorative method consisting of fruits and seeds collection in the field, plant identification, seed extraction and temporary storage of seeds before being transferred to the Seed Bank of the Purwodadi Botanical Gardens. Fruit and seed characterization was described as descriptively based on direct observation. The Seed characters observed were included the number of weight, length, width, the thickness of seeds. The method of extracting each seed is documented and recorded, especially those that require special handling. Among 45 collected seed most of them were shrub, which are dominated by Annonaceae, Moraceae, and Rubiaceae, families. Based on the seed storage behavior, most of the seed were orthodox, this was possible in 14 days of trip for the seeds to maintain their viability, as evidenced by the germination rate above 75% at most of collected seeds. Some seeds had special characteristics in their extraction because of the different morphological properties of the seeds and fruits. Most of the seeds obtained from nearshore ecosystem were easy to extract because the seeds were quite dry.