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Managing Seed Accessions

An Accession is a collection of seeds that has been accepted into a seed bank in Terraware. Each Accession is assigned a unique accession number that follows it through seed banking, nursery management, and planting. Before you can add Accessions, you'll need at least one Seed Bank set up in Terraware. Admins and Managers can add and manage Accessions.

The Accession number format is: Year (XX) – Location (1 for seed bank, 2 for nursery) – Chronological Number (XXX). For example, an accession checked into a seed bank in 2023 as the 115th accession that year would be numbered 23-1-115.

Add Accessions

You can add Accessions to Terraware in three ways: manually one at a time, by importing a CSV file in bulk, or by recording a Seed Collection in the field using the mobile app and uploading it to Terraware.

Add an Accession manually

Adding Accessions one at a time works well when you have a small number to enter.

  1. Navigate to Seeds > Accessions and click Add Accession.
  2. Fill in the required fields:
    • Species — select from your organization's species list. Note: the Species must already exist in your species list before you can add an Accession for it.
    • Collection Date — the date the seeds were physically collected.
    • Receiving Date — the date the seeds arrived at your seed bank.
    • Processing Status — defaults to Awaiting Check-In for new Accessions.
    • Location — the Seed Bank where the seeds are being received.
  3. Click Create. You'll be taken to the Accession details page for the accession you just created.
Import accessions from a CSV file

If you have an existing seed bank database, you can import it into Terraware in bulk using a CSV file.

  1. Navigate to Seeds > Accessions, click the three dots icon at the upper left of the screen, and click Import.
  2. Select the Seed Bank you want to import into.
  3. Click the link to download the CSV template and open it in your spreadsheet application.
  4. Fill in the template. The required columns are Scientific Name and Collection Date. Include as much additional information as you can — it will help you filter and manage your Accessions later. Use the following accepted values for each column:
    • Qty — numbers only.
    • Qty Units — Seeds, Grams, Kilograms, Milligrams, Pounds, or Ounces.
    • Status — Awaiting Processing, Processing, Drying, In Storage, or Used Up.
    • Collection Date — YYYY-MM-DD format.
    • Collection Source — Wild (In Situ), Reintroduced, Cultivated (Ex Situ), or Other.
  5. Save the file in CSV format.
  6. Back in Terraware, select your CSV file and click Import. Note: If there are formatting issues in your file, Terraware will ask you to correct them and re-upload.
  7. When the import is complete, your data will appear in the Accessions list.
Add Accessions from a seed collection recorded in the field

You can record seed collections in the field using the Terraware mobile app and upload them to Terraware, where they'll appear as Accessions with a status of Awaiting Check-In. For more information, see Mobile App: Seed Collecting in the Field.

Find an Accession

The Accessions list shows all the accessions your organization has added to Terraware. From here you can find specific accessions, review their details, and manage their status, quantity, location, and viability over time. 

Navigate to Seeds > Accessions to see your full accessions list.

Accessions List

Search: Click the search icon at the top of the table and type what you're looking for. Matching entries are highlighted in the list. If the list is filtered, only matches within the filtered results are highlighted.

Filter: Click the filter icon at the top of the table to filter by any column, including species, status, project, and collection date.

Download: Click the download icon to export the list as a CSV file. If the list is filtered, only the filtered results will be exported.

View accession details

Click the Accession number or name in the list to open the accession details page. From here you can see a full overview of the Accession and take actions including changing its status, location, quantity, and viability.

Accession Details screen 

The age of an Accession is calculated based on the Receiving Date. For Accessions created directly in the Terraware web app, the Receiving Date is the date entered during creation. For Accessions created from Seed Collections recorded in the mobile app, the Receiving Date is the date on which the Seed Collection was checked in.

Change the status of an Accession

An Accession's status reflects where it is in the seed banking process. To change the status, click the status card on the Accession details page and select the new status.

The available statuses are:

  • Awaiting Check-In — assigned automatically to Seed Collections recorded in the mobile app and uploaded to Terraware. Review incoming collections and click Check In at the top right of the Accession details page to confirm the seeds have been physically received at your seed bank.
  • Awaiting Processing — for seeds that have been checked in but not yet processed.
  • Processing — for seeds currently being processed (for example, going through a seed blower).
  • Drying — for seeds currently being dried.
  • In Storage — for seeds that are in storage.
  • Withdrawn — assigned automatically by Terraware when the full quantity of an Accession has been withdrawn.

Change the location of an Accession

  1. In the Accession details, click the Location card.
  2. Select a different seed bank and sub-location.

Change the quantity of an Accession

You can update the quantity of an Accession once its has been checked in.

  1. In the accession details, click the Quantity card.
  2. Record the quantity using seed count or weight as your primary unit. Note: If you're using weight-based quantities, use the Weight to Count Calculator to enter the weight of a small subset of seeds, the count for that subset, and the total weight of the accession. Terraware will calculate the estimated total seed count.
  3. Click Save.

Note: Editing quantity is intended for recording the initial quantity and correcting mistakes made during withdrawals. To use features like viability testing and accurate seed tracking, your Accession needs either a count-based quantity or a subset weight.

Change the viability of an Accession

  1. In the accession details, click the Viability card.
  2. Edit the viability percentage directly, or click Add a Viability Test to record a formal test.

For more information about recording viability tests, see Viability Testing.

View Accession history

Click the History tab in the Accession details page to see a full log of actions taken on the Accession — including when it was created, when seeds were withdrawn, and any status changes. The history is read-only and cannot be edited.

Delete an Accession

  1. In the Accession details page, click the More Options menu (three dots).
  2. Click Delete and confirm.

Note: Deleting an Accession is permanent. While the accession number will not be reused, deletion does not affect seed counts or totals elsewhere in Terraware.

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