They were also shown plant samples collected from various locations in Africa. They are then sorted and dried to get at least 5% moisture content. The dried seeds if viable are packed using vacuum sealing and stored for medium period at 50C or long-term periods at -200C. In terms of conservation methods, visitors made other useful discoveries. Cryobank is a method that involves the storage of the specimen under liquid nitrogen at a very low temperature. Field bank on its part includes taking some specimens to the field for regeneration; and the third method, In vitro gene bank, involves the use of tissue culture of the specimen via explants obtained from a growing plant. 

The excursion ended being instructive, as MPRDD students on this occasion expanded their knowledge on genetic resources. Based in Ibadan, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is a non-profit institution generating agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation.