On 1 August 2019, Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE)  presented documents on the best practices and measures with regards to the implementation of “Community Seed Banks (CSB): Enhancing Local Seed Conservation”. The establishment of CSBs has been undertaken by SEARICE in collaboration with research institutions, universities, government and non-government organizations through initiatives that aim to empower communities and small-scale farmers in Southeast Asia since 1996. Bhutan, Philippines, and Thailand are the countries in which this practice will be taking place. In the Philippines, CSBs model climate-resiliency and agrobiodiversity, as seen  2002 when farmers of the Malitbog village of Dagohoy Municipality experienced severe drought and through the CSBs, and farmers were able to mitigate the effects of drought via seed distribution to the affected farmers. 

        We have featured a few of Cebu’s well-known endemic species, clearly exemplifying the beauty of Cebu that was preserved through collective efforts aimed at floral conservation: Ipomoea boholensis; Strongylodon macrobotrys; Dendrocalamus asper; Cinnamomum cebuense; Hoya carnosa; Imperata cylindrical; Ixora littoralis; Cynometra cebuensis; Saccharum spontaneum; and family Asteraceae “Compositae”.   

The process has 3 phases: (1) water uptake by imbibition; (2) reactivation of metabolism; and (3) mobilization of food reserves. These phases include the following process  for a successful seed germination  (Jhade, 2020):  

1. Seed coat (physical) dormancy:

This type of dormancy occurs when the seed coat is impermeable to oxygen and water. Commonly inhibited by chemicals from within the seed. A seed undergoing physical dormancy will remain dormant in the soil until the seed coat allows the entry of water and oxygen or when inhibiting chemicals are eliminated.

Seed coat dormancy is commonly exhibited in California lilac (Ceanothus), manzanita (Arctostaphylos), sumac (Rhus), and members of the legume family  (Yildiz et al., 2017)

2. Internal dormancy

This type of dormancy commonly arises due to physiological conditions such as the presence of seed germination inhibitors or the lack of enzymes that are required for physiological maturation. The adverse implications by these inhibitors must be eliminated to allow the germination process to begin. Germination-promoting substances such as abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA3), and potassium nitrate (KNO3). 

Examples of plant species that have ABA as an internal inhibitor in response to internal dormancy are Sugar maple, Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.), planetree maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), European hazel (Corylus avellana L.), white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), apple (Malus pumila Mill.), northern red (Quercus rubra L.), and English oaks (Yildiz et al., 2017)

> DEEP: seed either cannot grow at all or will produce abnormal seedlings

> NON-DEEP: seed will easily germinate and produce normal seedlings

> INTERMEDIATE: seed can eventually germinate and grow

2. Secondary dormancy: Secondary dormancy occurs when faced with conditions unfavorable to seed germination

Occurs when the seed is incapable of undergoing germination even if suitable conditions for growth are present. This may be due to an immature embryo during the time of dispersal. 

Environmental restraints may prevent a seed from germination

Extremely unfavorable conditions for germination are present, thus the seeds fail to germinate even in favorable conditions.

The elongation of cells is aided by hydration, as well as the creation and activation of enzymes, which culminates in the development of the radicle. The first observable symptom of germination is the appearance of a radicle, which is caused by cell elongation rather than cell division.

Finally, the development of the seedling plant occurs as a result of continuing cell division in various growth areas of the embryo, which is followed by the expansion of seedling structures.

Seeds stored remain dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years, depending on the species. The best prediction suggests that at the very least, seeds will survive for 150 years in vaults – but hopefully much longer  (Gosling, 2020).

Experts and volunteers all over the world carefully collect seeds for the banks during field work. Rigorous criteria is utilized to ensure that the best seeds are collected and stored (Gosling, 2020). 

Several genes control the radial patterning of plant embryos, this include shr, scr, pic, glm,  wol, and fs. To investigate the effect of these genes in the radial patterning of developing plant embryos, Scheres et al. (2002) observed the effect of the mutant genes on developing Arabidopsis plant. Mutant shortroot (shr) displayed slow root growth as a consequence of lacking endodermal tissues. Mutant pinocchio (pic) and scarecrow (src) lacked a ground tissue layer and cortex layer. Mutation in gollum (glm), displayed an abnormal organisation of the vascular tissue and pericycle moreover, the arrangement of xylem and phloem elements is atypical. Mutation in the wooden leg (wol) roots with a vascular system in which fewer cells are present compared to wild type, and all the vascular cells differentiated into xylem elements. With these the researchers have concluded that wooden leg and gollum mutations interfere with the proper organisation of the vascular tissue, shortroot, scarecrow and pinocchio affect the endodermis and cortex.

     However, in Cebu they are referred to as "Cebuano". Cebu comes from the Visayas region, where Pinoys who are born and raised in Cebu can speak Tagalog and Cebuano (dialect of Cebu). 
     The lifestyle of most Cebuanos include farming or fishing. A typical Cebuano village id made  of bamboo and wooden dwellings with two or three rooms. Their diet mainly includes rice and fish, with some vegetables and fruits. Not only is Cebu home to a number of majestic waterfalls such as the Kawasan Falls, but it boasts a rich floral heritage to its residents and tourists.