More than 140 years later, the world's longest botanical experiment continues to surprise scientists

in 1879Dr. William Bell was buried 20 glass vials filled with seeds and sand In one place in Michigan State University. The aim of the experiment was to understand Longevity in soil, a topic of general interest in ecology, gastronomy, conservation and agriculture, periodically analyzes the germination of these seeds for 100 years. The interval between germination experiments has been extended and the experiment will end after 221 years 2100.

In April 2021, with the aim of analyzing its situation, four scientists specialized in biology Michigan State University They gathered in an undisclosed area of ​​campus to discover one of the bottles containing the seeds deposited by Bill.

Now, more than two years after the seeds were removed from their secret location, molecular genetic tests have confirmed that the plant was mistakenly included. hybrid Among the seeds in the bottle, a discovery that would have surprised and astounded Bill because DNA analysis was not known at the time.

While on campus, Bill wanted to help farmers increase crop production by weeding their farms, so he was determined to discover how long the seeds of these unwanted plants could remain viable in the soil.

He filled 20 glass bottles with sand and 50 seeds of 23 weed species. He then buried them with their mouths angled downward so that water would not accumulate, imitating the natural conditions of the seeds and soil as best he could. And so began the so-called experiment Bell seed.

Bell was originally drilled every five years to test the seeds. However, in 1920 it was decided to change the time interval to 10 years to prolong the study. Then, in 1980, the time interval was extended to 20 years. With four bottles still buried, the experiment will continue until the year 2100.

In 2021, Bell's current team of researchers excavated the 14th seed bottle buried on campus to see if they could finally answer the question… How long can seeds remain viable?. “The biggest surprise for me was seeing the seeds sprouting again. It's amazing that something so old can still grow,” explained Frank Tylosky, professor emeritus, plant biologist and leader of the Bell team, in an article. press release.

As of April 2021, members of the Bell trial team, including Tylewski; Lars Brodvig, professor of plant biology; Grace Fleming, assistant professor of plant biology; and David Lurie, associate professor of plant biology Genomic DNA sequencing To confirm Identifications Of plant species for the first time in the history of the experiment. The team's work has just been published in American Journal of Botany.

The group always believed that the hybrid was somehow mixed with the original seeds, but they didn't have the tools to confirm that, until now.

“Molecular genetics work confirmed the phenotypes we saw, which was that the plants were Verbascum blattaria, or moth mullein, and a hybrid of blattaria and thapsus, or common mullein,” Fleming said. Bill stated that he only included Verbascum thapsus seeds, so some confusion must have occurred while preparing the bottles.”

While most species in Bell's experiment lost their ability to survive within the first 60 years,… insistence Of Verbascum seeds provide invaluable information about Possibilities in natural soil conditions.

“In the more than 140 years since the experiment began, the question of the longevity of seed banks has taken on new importance, including the preservation of rare species and the restoration of ecosystems; for example, meadow plantings on former farmland,” Brodwig said. “The findings help “Our findings identify which plant species, such as Verbascum, might be a weed for a restoration project like this, and which others might not be, depending on how long the field was cultivated before it was restored.”

Bill hopes Helping farmers eliminate weeds Determine how long the seeds will remain viable. After 144 years, this question Still no response.

“Bell's experiment will eventually end when we run out of bottles,” says Lowry. “If the seeds germinate again in the next drilling, we may need to consider extending the interval between bottle extractions to every 30 years.” “It's still a bit early to put this on my calendar, but I'm looking forward to seeing if we can awaken more seeds in 2040.”

*The information in this newspaper article is taken from a paper entitled “The 141-year period of Dr. Bell’s seed viability experiment: a hybrid surprise,” published in American Journal of BotanyWritten by: Margaret B. Fleming, Lauren Stanley, Robin Zalen, and Matthew T. Chancellor, and Lars A. Brodwig, and David B. Lowry, Marjorie Weber, and Frank W. Telosky. In addition to the press release issued by Michigan State University.