After the dehydration procedure, seeds are packaged in hermetically closed containers (aluminium envelopes, glass jars, flame-sealed glass tubes, vials of pyrex glass) to ensure long-term conservation. A small amount of silica gel is also placed within the container: the change of its colour in the presence of humidity allows periodical controls of the dehydration degree of the seeds.

Photo:(left) hermetical and transparent vials which permit the control of seed conservation conditions by avoiding unnecessary handling; (right) alternative solution to silica gel: it can be replaced by a paper label, bands of which are imbibed in a silica gel solution whose colour changes according to moisture percentage (© 2005 Pietro Pavone - DBUC; E. Mattana - BG-SAR, CCB).

The accessions that are packaged in this way, are directed to the:

- active collection – conservation at temperatures between 0 and 10oC; collection constituted by seedlots that will be used within a short or medium time span for in situ conservation activities (reinforcement of natural populations or re-introduction), direct sowing in the field, activities for ex situ conservation (propagation, exchanges with Index Seminum, etc.) or for the various tests and analyses in the laboratory

- base collection – conservation in cold rooms at a temperature of -18°C or inferior (IPBGR, 1985); dedicated to long-term conservation of seeds; these seedlots will only be used for periodical controls, every 5-10 years.