w.j. beal’s long-term seed viability study: 1879-2012 frank w. telewski professor, dept. of plant...
TRANSCRIPT
W.J. Beal’s Long-Term Seed Viability Study:
1879-2012
Frank W. TelewskiProfessor, Dept. of Plant Biology
Curator, W. J. Beal Botanical Garden & Campus Arboretum
Michigan State University
Professor William James Beal, born March 11, 1833, Adrian, Michigan; died 1924.
Attended Univ. of Michigan 1855-1859 (A.B. degree)
Taught natural sciences in Friend’s Academy, Union Springs, NY 1895-1861
Attended Harvard 1861-1863 to study with Asa Gray, Louis Agassiz and Jeffried Wyman (S.B. degree)
Question: How long can seeds remain viable in the soil?
• Farmers needed weed control• Mechanical removal (cultivation)• No herbicides!• Labor intensive
Experimental Design
• 21 different species selected• 50 seeds of each • Mixed in moderately moist sand• Twenty lots (1-pint bottles filled with mix)• Set upside-down, slanted, and buried uncorked on
campus• 2 species, oak and black walnut buried next to the
bottles
What was included in the bottles?
• Agrostemma githago- corncockle• Amaranthus retroflexus- pigweed• Ambrosia artemisifolia- ragweed• Anthemis cotula- stinking
chamomile• Brassica nigra- black mustard• Bromus secalinus- rye brome• Capsella bursa-pastoris-shepherd's-
purse• Erechtites hieracifolia- American
burnweed• Euphorbia maculata- spotted spurge• Lepidium virginicum- peppergrass• Malva rotundifolia- Round-leaved
Mallow
• Plantago major- broadleaved plantain• Polygonum hydropiper- marshpepper
knotweed• Portulaca oleracea- Common Purslane• Setaria glauca- yellow foxtail• Stellaria media- chickweed• Trifolium repens- white clover• Verbascum thapsus- common mullein• (Verbascum blattaria- moth mullein)• Oenothera biennnis- evening primrose• Rumex crispus- curly dock• Thuja occidentalis- eastern white
cedar
Time Periods
• Professor Beal (five years)- 1884-1909• Professor Darlington (five years)- 1914-1920• Professor Darlington (ten years)- 1930-1960• Drs. Kivilaan and Bandurski- (ten years) 1970-
1980• Drs. Telewski and Zeevaart- (20 years) 2000
What Germinated?
• After first 5 years, 13 species germinated• Remained fairly constant until 30th year• By 60th year, only Verbascum was germinating
regularly.• In year 100, both Verbascum and Malva
germinated
122 year-old biennials
What Germinated in 2000?
25 Verbascum blattaria (50%)1 Malva rotundifolia (2%)
5 more bottles left.
Next bottle to be extracted?2020