A Second Kind of Crop Vault: Why Latin America Is Freezing Living Plant Tissue
World · Crop diversity November 6, 2026 A second kind of crop vault Latin America’s announced joint deposit in Lima puts living plant tissue at the center of the global crop-backup system. −196°C Liquid nitrogen Plant Cryo Vault storage described by CIP −18°C Dry-seed storage Svalbard’s published storage temperature Cryotank storage at USDA-ARS in Fort Collins, Colorado. Archival photograph, not the Plant Cryo Vault in Lima. Jennifer Kendall. Source and public-domain declaration . Brazil, Chile and Ecuador announce a crop deposit in Lima. Why living plant tissue needs cryogenic backup alongside conventional seed storage. Brazil, Chile and Ecuador have announced a joint deposit of crop material in the Plant Cryo Vault in Lima, an effort to extend the international backup system for agriculture beyond packets of dry seed. The International Potato Center, known as CIP, scheduled the deposit for November 5, 2026. Its announcement identifies Brazil's EMBRAPA, Chile's INIA and E...