Energy and space efficient cultivation box for gene banks
We are developing a cultivation box that is climate-controlled and energy- as well as space-efficient. The device is designed as a flexible system that allows the internal arrangement to be adapted according to cultivation requirements. The construction of the cultivation box uses an external cooling system that enables stable temperature regulation without installing active cooling components directly inside the cultivation space.
The intensity and spectral characteristics of the lighting can be easily adjusted by selecting lights according to the intended use (seed germination, seedling preparation, etc.).
Our story
Gene banks are foundational institutions for global agriculture. From the perspective of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), they function as biological insurance systems that preserve the genetic diversity needed to sustain crop production, adapt to change, and secure future food systems.
Germination testing is one of the most critical quality control procedures in the management of plant genetic resources for agriculture (PGRFA) and in seed systems generally. In gene banks, it it determines whether conserved genetic diversity remains alive, usable, and regenerable.
Controlled cultivation incubators are essential tools in germination testing because they provide standardized, reproducible environmental conditions required to accurately evaluate seed viability. By precisely regulating temperature, humidity, light, and sometimes gas exchange, these systems eliminate external variability that could mask true germination performance, ensuring that differences in germination reflect seed quality rather than environmental fluctuations. They also allow testing under species-specific conditions (e.g., alternating temperatures or light regimes), support uniform seedling development for reliable scoring, reduce contamination risks, and enable simultaneous testing of many accessions under identical settings. In gene banks and seed laboratories, such controlled environments are therefore important for producing comparable, scientifically valid germination used to guide regeneration decisions, monitor seed longevity, and maintain the integrity of conserved plant genetic resources.
However during our collaboration with the CARC gene bank in Prague, Czechia, we realized that the majority of seed germination methods require relatively simple environmental conditions, and that standard scientific growth chambers are often unnecessarily complex, expensive, and energy intensive for such tasks relative to their cultivation space. Therefore, we developed a simple, low cost, and energy efficient cultivation box designed for basic yet frequently performed germination procedures. This cultivation box is also possible to customize for additional applications beyond gene bank use.
We are looking for
- Beta testers (gene banks and other interested companies
- Future customers (suggestions for improvements)
- Subcontractors
