ANKARA , July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey laid foundation on Thursday for a seed gene storing center in Ankara that would contain the genes of 250 ,000 plant species, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. Turkey's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Mehmet Mehdi Eker said at the ground-breaking ceremony that the center would become the world's third biggest one after those in the United States and China. The seed gene bank , for which construction was expected to be finished this December , would protect seeds collected within and outside Turkey for use in scientific experiments , Eker was quoted as saying. The project would activate the agricultural potential of Turkey , which is rich in biological diversity with 3,905 of the world's 12,000 endemic plant species on its territory , said Eker. "Turkey should be aware of this richness and preserve this for the whole humanity," said Eker , noting that industrialization and urbanization had impaired the diversity of genetic resources.

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