Seeds longevity

Weed seed longevity is attributed, at least in part, to inhibitors that protect the seed from decay by microbes. One of the reasons weeds pose such a serious problem is because their seeds can persist for decades. This problem might be attacked by either destroying the inhibitors or by developing strains of microbes that can destroy the seeds. 

Burnside, O.C., R.G. Wilson, S. Weisberg, and K.G. Hubbard (1996). Seed longevity of 41 weed species buried 17 years in eastern and western Nebraska. Weed Sci., 44 74-86. 

Potential seed longevity Moderate weeks to months (years in some exceptional cases where seeds have woody outer cases) Long years in the upper few cm of soil profile in warm moist conditions conducive to invertebrate microbial activity... 

Characteristic longevity among seed species is almost anecdotal among seed scientists, but a mechanistic explanation remains elusive. As with other seed longevity surveys, we foimd that species such as lettuce, onion, elm, and fescue were notoriously "bad keepers" and species such as spinach, tomato, cucumber, okra, pea, and radish consistently stored well. Species such as sunflower, flax, cereal grains, and poppy exhibited typical seed storage behavior. The propensity for seeds to survive for long periods has... 

Seed longevity is a function of fhe interaction of wafer confent, storage temperature and unknown quality characteristics. To develop more predictive models of the rate that seeds deteriorate under extremely cold or dry conditions we have studied how water in these systems behave. We have discovered that there are limited benefits to both temperature and water content in prolonging seed lifespans. These critical conditions may reflecf a change in how water and constituents of cells inferacf. 

Buitink, Hemminga, M. A., and Hoekstra, E A. Is there a role for oligosaccharides in seed longevity An assessment of intracellular glass stability. Plant Physiol, 122, 1217, 2000. 

Trawatha, S.E. D.M. TeKrony D.F. Hildebrand. Soybean lipoxygenase mutants and seed longevity. Crop. Sci. 1995,35, 862-868. 

Anderson, R.L., and Soper, G. 2003. Review of volunteer wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedhng emergence and seed longevity in soil. Weed Technol. 17(3) 620-626. 

Ripening seeds, except where they are enclosed in fleshy fruit, lose water until their water content is in equilibrium with atmospheric humidity and at this stage they contain 5-20% water. The water contents of some seeds can be reduced still further with no adverse effects on viability, rather this can enhance their survival in the dried state (Roberts, 1973). The longevity of seeds in this anhydrobiotic state can be prodigious, lasting for several hundred years (Priestley Posthumus, 1982). 

Priestley, D.A. Posthumus, M.A. (1982). Extreme longevity of Lotus seeds from Palantien. Nature, 299,148-9. 

DEBEAUJON, I LEON-KLOOSTERZIEL, K.M., KOORNNEEF, M., Influence of the testa on seed dormancy, germination, and longevity in Arabidopsis, Plant Physiol., 2000,122,403-413. 

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is believed to be one of the most ancient crops cultivated by humans (1). It was first recorded as a crop in Babylon and Assyria over 4000 years ago. The seeds of the crop are used both as condiment and oil source. The Babylonians made wine and cakes with sesame seeds, whereas sesame oil was used for cooking, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes. Ancient Indians used sesame oil as lighting oil, and sesame seeds were commonly used in the religious rites of Hindus. The Chinese believed that sesame seeds could promote health and longevity. 

Walters, C., Wheeler, L., and Stanwood, P.C. Longevity of cryogenically-stored seeds. 

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