Miracle of seeds — bringing good things to life

Some of the most iconic lines in the movie “The Princess Bride” come from Miracle Max (played by

Billy Crystal). In evaluating an apparently dead Westley (Cary Elwes), Miracle Max says, “It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.” I’m reminded of those lines every time I look at seeds, because if I didn’t know better, I would have no idea that those inert, dead-looking things contained any life energy at all.

A remarkable quality of seeds is their ability to remain dormant for long periods of time. To get a better understanding of this, let’s look inside a seed. A seed is composed of three main parts: a dormant embryo, storage tissue, and a protective seed coat that encases the other parts. The embryo contains two separate growth points. At germination, when the seed is activated by water and warmth, one growth point “knows” to grow downward, into the soil, where it will develop into a root system that takes up water and nutrients from the soil.

The other point knows to grow upward, pushing through from the darkness of the soil into the open air, where it will receive the sunlight that drives the “engine” of a plant through the process of photosynthesis. The storage tissue contains enough food to enable the embryo to develop both the root and the shoot until the plant is developed enough to take up food and energy on its own.

That seeds can remain viable for incredibly long periods was proven in 2005 in Israel, in an experiment conducted on seeds of the Judaen date palm that had been found by archaeologists while excavating at Masada, in eastern Israel. The age of the seeds was verified at about 2,000 years by carbon dating. Found in 1973, the seeds were labeled and stowed in a drawer and pretty much forgotten. Experiments on the seeds were not conducted until 2005. Who would think to even try? Surely, after two millennia, these seeds were dead — weren’t they?

The germination tests were conducted by Elaine Solowey, director of the experimental orchard and cultivation site at Kibbutz Ketura in Israel, which focuses primarily on finding new crops that grow well in the arid Middle East climate.

Prior to working with the ancient seed find, Solowey researched methods of revitalizing seeds and determined that several things were necessary. First, she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them once again able to absorb liquids. Then, assuming that the food in the seed would be no good after two millennia, she soaked the seeds in a solution of nutrients followed by an enzymatic fertilizer made from seaweed.

Several months after planting, Solowey noticed cracked soil in one of the pots — a sure sign of sprouting. A sprout emerged, the plant continued to grow, and the resulting tree was dubbed “Methuselah,” after the oldest person in the Bible.

Solowey’s team continued to germinate more of the ancient seeds, hoping to generate a viable female tree and reproduce actual fruits. Success came in 2020: Six new date tree seedlings emerged. “They were given Biblical names: Adam, Boaz, Hannah, Jonah, Judith and Uriel. Judith and Hannah were female, but only Hannah flowered. She was pollinated using pollen from Methuselah. Eventually, Hannah produced 111 dates.”

We are barely a week away from St. Patrick’s Day, the traditional day for planting early peas out in the garden. In the cold, damp soil, it’s likely that not all the seeds we plant will germinate. But what a great opportunity to think of the miracle of seed — those little sparks waiting patiently to be brought to life.

Note: You can read more about this amazing achievement at https://arava.org/aravaresearch-centers/arava-center-for-sustainable-agriculture/methuselah/6-new-ancient-datetrees/

Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Pam’s nature-related books for children and families, Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets, are available on Amazon, at Amazon.com/author/pamelabaxter.