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Ancient Tobacco Seeds

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chuditch

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Just a question on seeds and their half life and so forth. I believe somewhere in the world, maybe Iceland, they have an underground vault which is in the perma frost and they have a seed bank of the worlds seeds in the off chance of needing them post traumatic event. Is this the case and the seeds last an extraordinary long time or do they replace them constantly. And another was there a reference some years back to them regrowing the cereal crop from a lost culture from seeds found in tombs or is that along the same lines as the 1000 year old tobacco seeds or is the ability of some plants greater than others to still be viable after a long period?
 

deluxestogie

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I had forgotten how amusing this thread is.

Some of the best studies on the viability of tobacco seed seem to indicate that desiccation is more important than cold temperature, which is a valuable revelation for rural villages in India. Both together--deep freeze and desiccant--probably get us to about 40 years for tobacco seed (according to Jessica, at NCSU's Nicotiana seedbank).

If you look up seed viability for common vegetable seeds, the range is typically between 2 and 6 years. I do believe that a genuinely ancient lotus seed was successfully germinated. The Guatemala Blue Squash that I grew 4 years ago yielded zero germination when I tried to start them this spring.

Bob
 

Hasse SWE

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On svalbard, there is a seed bank that at least the european countries to send their seeds to. Where are stored the seeds freeze-dried.But in response, I can say that cereals (such as oats,barley and wheat) can you have for a long time in a common barn (if the judgment is not too bright, and humid). Peas often think pretty good after 30 years.When I speak about Peas I have for example got peas that my grandfather farmed in the 50's. I added ten peas in water this year, and of these, I've got six nice little plants. And this ain't my best growing year if I say so..
 

Hasse SWE

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LoL think you have one of my cats then.. They were so happy when I was starting this growing year.. I wasn't that happy over them at that moment. But now I know that they can eat small tobacco plants with no problem..
 

ChinaVoodoo

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_viable_seed
This was an interesting read.
A part of what i gain from it is that if a miraculous 1000
year old tobacco seed did exist, we would know the exact archaeological site, the name of the archaeologist, and the name of who grew it, and where.

A note on the seed banks in the deep earth mentioned in a couple posts. One I'm sure they've perfected storage. Two, in the event of a near extinction event, I'm certain the plan isn't simply to stick seeds in dirt and pray, but instead will involve geneticists performing special techniques to repair the seeds and make them viable.
 

deluxestogie

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Interesting article. "The oldest carbon-14-dated seed that has grown into a viable plant was Silene stenophylla (narrow-leafed campion)..."

I have a white campion growing alongside my house, and I'm one of the oldest members of FTT. Coincidence?

Bob
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Interesting article. "The oldest carbon-14-dated seed that has grown into a viable plant was Silene stenophylla (narrow-leafed campion)..."

I have a white campion growing alongside my house, and I'm one of the oldest members of FTT. Coincidence?

Bob

I just had a flashback to The Man From Earth, Bob. Or should I say, Mr. Oldman?
 

Hasse SWE

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I have a white campion growing alongside my house, and I'm one of the oldest members of FTT. Coincidence?

Bob
Bob "oldest is the oldest" and it ain't any thing bad with it. If you look back I think you also see that the years have made you to the man you are to day.
 

Smokin Harley

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Here...let me throw the monkey wrench into your figuring...
all it would take is one mouse to ruin the whole idea of having 10 viable seeds left.
 

burge

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I do happen to know there is wild tobacco in BC. Its been there for eons.
 

BarG

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Let me know if you ever find any, supposedly there is wild tobacco here to in USA lower 48 but haven't found any. Heh heh
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I've got a feeling Princeton/Keremeos area is where to look for Nicotiana attenuata. I'll be meandering through in a couple weeks. If you don't hear from me, the rattlesnakes got me.
 

burge

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I have seen the plant in Kamloops and Chilliwack. I was talking to someone who lived there and picked it. Said it was harsh.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I have seen the plant in Kamloops and Chilliwack. I was talking to someone who lived there and picked it. Said it was harsh.

I might also drive the Douglas Lake road between Merritt and Falkland. That prairie is old and relatively undisturbed since the Canadian National Railroad bypassed it some odd 100 years ago.
Screenshot_20170615-025311.jpg
 
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