Seeds That Outlived Empires

 

Two thousand years ago, traders hauled baskets of dates along the dusty roads of Judea, unaware that a few fallen pits would one day slip back into the light.

This year, those same pits stand taller than a person, their feathery leaves waving over the Arava desert in southern Israel.

A new study has documented the germination of these ancient seeds and traced their genetic roots to long-lost varieties of Judean date palms.

Seeds that outlived empires

Dr. Sarah Sallon of Hadassah Medical Center and Dr. Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute coaxed the first of the ancient seeds, later nicknamed Methuselah, to germinate in 2005.

Several companions soon followed, including female trees such as Hannah that can bear fruit when pollinated by their venerable brother. 

The pits came from archaeological digs at Masada and nearby desert caves, places where rebels once chose death over Roman capture.

Protected by the region’s bone dry air, the seeds escaped decay and insect jaws long enough to meet twenty first century potting soil.

Unearthing and waking the dates

The team first soaked each pit in warm water, then bathed it in nutrient and growth hormone solutions before planting it in sterile soil.

Some sprouted within eight weeks, while others dawdled for half a year, testing the botanists’ patience.

All the seed shells were sent to a lab to find out how old they were using carbon testing, confirming ages that range from the fourth century BCE to the second century CE. 

Once green shoots appeared, the seedlings moved to a quarantine greenhouse where desert sunlight and desalinated water mimicked ancient flood plain conditions.

Measuring the age

Radiocarbon results alone could have been disputed, so the team compared seed size and shape with those of 100 modern date varieties.

The ancient pits were about thirty percent larger, matching Roman writers’ praise for the hefty, honey flavored Judean crop.

Their thick shells likely slowed oxygen seepage and microbial attack, key factors in extreme seed longevity.

When Methuselah finally unfurled its first frond, it became the oldest known seed ever germinated under human care.

Reading ancient genomes

Once the palms were strong enough for leaf sampling, researchers used DNA sequencing to build whole genomes.

The work showed that eastern varieties dominated earlier centuries, while later pits carried genes from North Africa and Mesopotamia.

That genetic mosaic backs the view that Judean farmers imported elite cultivars and pollinated them with local males, a practice that helped dates conquer distant markets.

It also gives modern breeders clues for drought tolerance, disease resistance, and the caramel-like sweetness prized in the Middle East.

- Author: Adrian Villellas, Earth.com

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