Interactive identification key for seeds in birdseed
An interactive identification key to identify 143 seeds, either traded birdseeds, and of seeds of contaminants and of plants considered as quarantine weeds in Russia has been developed and is available online.
This key is a multiple-entry and image-driven tool, i.e. observed characters can be scored in any order and these characters are all illustrated with pictures. Possible results for the identification of a seed can easily be compared with high-quality photographs.
This tool is currently being used by Dutch inspectors at borders and thorough knowledge of technical (botanical) terms is not necessary. This interactive key is one of the six keys envisaged (seeds, seedlings, weeds in bonsai plants, terrestrial plants, aquatic plants in the field, aquatic plants in trade) for the Invasive Plants database (http://www.q-bank.eu/Plants/) belonging to the Q-bank project.
The Invasive Plants database facilitates the identification of about 80 alien plants that pose a (potential) threat to biodiversity in Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and North-Western France, or of species that are regulated by third countries and are likely to be present as contaminants in commercial exports originating from the Netherlands.
Information on species, the fact sheets and the interactive identification tools are freely available online at http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/invasieven/key_seeds/Invasive%20plant%20seeds%20of%20the%20Netherlands.html
Sources
Contact: Johan van Valkenburg, Dutch Plant Protection Service, Email: j.l.c.h.van.valkenburg@minlnv.nl