Seeds buried only about a foot underground at MSU for 121 years have finally made their way to the surface as part of an experiment going back to 1884.
The seeds, planted by William J. Beal, a professor at what was then called Michigan Agricultural College, had been kept in a glass jar underground since 1879. Beal spent 40 years at MAC, from 1870-1910.
In April, the seeds were unearthed by botany and plant pathology Professor Jan Zeevaart and Frank Telewski, curator of the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden.
“We dug them up on a Saturday, and in a week’s time they started to germinate,” Zeevaart said. “After 121 years, these seeds still germinate.”
Beal designed the experiment in which 20 bottles were filled and buried with 1,050 seeds each. Each bottle contained 21 species of plant.
The seeds are buried in a secret location on north campus.
Beal began the experiment with plans to dig up bottles every five years, but in 1920 in order to extend the study he altered his plans to dig up seeds every 10 years.
In 1980 it was changed to every 20 years.
“The last time the experiment was done was in 1980,” Zeevaart said. “It should be done as long as possible. And with five bottles left we still have 100 years to go.”
Only recently did the plants unearthed this time around begin to flower, making it easier for Zeevaart and Telewski to distinguish which species of plant the seeds were.
He was especially interested in the longevity of seeds, Zeevaart said.
John Lockwood, a professor emeritus in plant pathology, said Beal had a long and distinguished career and was a nationally recognized botanist.
Of the 25 seedlings that germinated, 23 of them are verbascum blattaria, commonly called moth mullein. Two other seedlings germinated into a different species and one died. But Zeevaart and Telewski are waiting for the other to flower.
“This experiment makes one realize that some weeds can persist for a long time,” Lockwood said. “Its more scientific importance is that the longevity of some seeds is truly amazing.”
After the seeds were recently dug up, Zeevaart and Telewski put some of them in a cold chamber for eight weeks to simulate winter.
“Since it takes these seeds two years to flower, we put them in a cold chamber in August,” Telewski said. “It was to fool them into thinking they are going through two years.”
According to Zeevaart, the importance of the experiment is to help determine why some weeds continue growing back.
“In agriculture, it is important to know the longevity of seeds,” said Ray Hammerschmidt, acting chairperson of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. “If you have one that lasts only two years and you haven’t seen it for a few years, then it is probably gone. But if there is a weed that can last 100 years, you need to know to figure out a way to deal with it.”
The next bottle will be brought to the surface in 2020. And although the results are unknown, Zeevaart said the moth mullein seeds will probably still germinate when dug up in 20 years.
“I think that if it survived for so long already, then I think chances are very good it will keep germinating,” he said.
Shannon Murphy can be reached at murphy78@msu.edu.
