Humidity Control for Herbarium
Herbarium and its importance
Herbarium is the aquarium for herbs, where certainly the aqua part is kept totally zero for the best preservation of the herbs.. Although an aquarium and a herbarium are like worlds apart—one bubbling with movement and the other silent and still—they serve as the two primary pillars of biological preservations.
It is often called as the ‘Dead Garden’ but apparently it is the most important resource for modern botany & science. Without herbaria, our understanding of the natural world would be stuck in the speculation bubble.
In the modern world, a herbarium is way beyond just being an outdated collection of dry leaves. It has evolvement into a high-tech genomic and environmental database that scientists use it to solve problems, from food security to climate change.
The physical records from the herbs preserved in a herbarium actually provides undeniable proof of how rising temperatures are shifting growing seasons.
Researchers count on the preserved leaves to see how plants have adapted to increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere over the last few centuries.
Like other scientific processes aided by herbaria , there is one important process linked with herbaria is in case of extinct plants in the plant kingdom, the herbarium record is the only map this planet have for an attempt of a successful reintroduction.
Humidity and the Herbarium
Perhaps herbaria are the most “humidity-sensitive” scientific institutions in the world. Even a small spike in moisture can trigger a fungal outbreak that destroys 200-year-old specimens in days.
This sensitivity to moisture is the greatest threat to botanical science & history. Because a herbarium is essentially a massive collection of dried plants & organic cellulose.
In most of the herbaria a constant relative humidity of 40% to 50% is necessary ..beyond this mark the moisture in the indoor air is sufficient enough for dormant microorganisms & fungal spores to hydrate and begin germinating.
Even if the herbarium feels dry, moisture can get trapped inside the tight metal cabinets where specimens are stored. Without proper airflow, these microclimates can reach 80-90% humidity, leading to localized “hot spots” of molds.
Climatronics and its specific offering to Herbarium
Considering the humidity outbreak and the strictness in the prescribed humidity levels we at Climatronics are catering robust and compact industrial dehumidifiers specifically catering to the needs of any herbarium and herbaria.
Our Humidity experts team always on toes researching the varied needs of herbaria in India and the world to understand the requirement of the humidity control and its outcomes.
We not only cater Industrial dehumidifiers for the herbaria but also stick to services ensuring a seamless humidity management. A single day mal functioning of humidity control in any herbarium is like a catastrophe leading to heavy loss of preserved species of herbs and seeds and considering this we always keep ourselves aligned for the timely support preventing such events.
Our Industrial dehumidifiers are quite compact in size and specially designed for larger coverage and with lesser power consumptions. Few of our industrial dehumidifiers are equipped with refrigerants to control temperature at best.
We have already installed our Industrial Dehumidifiers in few of India’s Herbaria spanning across the length and breadth of the country and consistently delivering in our service commitments with the sheer belief that “there is no Planet B”.
