What is the oldest seed in China

May 22 is International Biodiversity Day. In Yunnan, which is known as the "Kingdom of animals and plants" and the "gene bank of species", the reporter will take you to visit a special "Museum", where there are "thousands" of green "wealth" - seeds.

The seed museum is "hidden" in the Kunming Botanical Garden of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is the first museum in China with the theme of wild plant seeds. How was the seed found? Why can plants grow in "bottles"? We walked into the museum to find out.

I: How did you find so many seeds?

The spectacular seed wall is eye-catching. There are thousands of colorful seeds in more than 2000 acrylic columns. You can see not only the seeds of pine and ginkgo, but also the seeds of many rare and endangered plants. Of course, the scientists stress that this wall is mainly for display, not the actual way to preserve seeds. It is reported that by the end of 2021, 87863 wild plant seeds of 10917 species have been preserved in the southwest China Wildlife germplasm resource bank.

How did you find so many seeds? The "seed Hunter" contributed a lot. They are a professional seed collection team. They will give priority to the collection and preservation of endangered, unique and economically important seeds. In order to ensure genetic diversity, the same plant should be collected in different distribution areas. Each plant should collect and preserve 10000 seeds, at least 2500 seeds. The collection work is very difficult.

Second question: what familiar seeds "friends" have you found?

Colorful seeds not only decorate our lives, but also provide basic material supplies. Most of the food, cotton, materials, main oil, drugs, condiments, coffee, tea and other drinks necessary for human clothing, food, housing and transportation come from the fruits or seeds of plants.

The seeds of corn, rice and wheat feed the vast majority of people in the world, while the clothes made from the surface fur of cotton seeds keep people warm. In addition to food and clothing, the pursuit of delicious food is inseparable from seeds. Pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and other household snacks, their seeds also appeared in the museum. On the spice wall, spice seeds such as star anise, pepper and pepper remind people of the fragrant braised meat made by my mother and the cumin flavored mutton kebabs on the street

Question 3: why can plants grow in "bottles"?

In the museum, the "seed Ark" is romantic and magical. Plants can grow and even blossom in bottles and cans. According to the scientists, this is a way to preserve plant germplasm resources - in vitro conservation. In the southwest China Wildlife germplasm resource bank, 2143 kinds of wild plant in vitro materials have been preserved.

It is understood that there are two ways to protect plant diversity: in situ protection and ex situ protection. In situ protection means the establishment of protected areas and forest parks, while ex situ protection means the protection through germplasm banks, ex vivo banks and Germplasm nurseries. For example, the southwest China Wildlife germplasm resources bank has ensured the safety of China's endemic, rare and endangered species and species with important economic, ecological and scientific research values through seed banks, DNA banks and other means.

Question 4: how old is the oldest seed in China?

According to scientists, ancient lotus is the longest - lived seed ever found in China. In 1952, scientists dug up the seeds of ancient lotus in the peat layer of a dried up pond in Pulandian, Liaoning Province. After determination, it has been sleeping underground for thousands of years.

Why does it live so long? It is understood that the peel of lotus is tough and thick, with strong compression resistance, which can protect the seeds. In addition, under the pericarp epidermis, there is a layer of palisade tissue that can effectively prevent water from entering. After the fruit is fully mature, the air channel under the stomata of the young fruit peel, which used to exchange gas, will also shrink and close, so that the fruit becomes a sealed chamber to achieve effective protection.

Five questions: what is the meaning of collecting seeds?

Seeds can not only continue species, but also provide us with necessities of life and a large number of industrial raw materials, thus creating a highly developed modern civilization. At the same time, the delicate and complete internal structure of seeds, as well as a variety of dispersal strategies that can span mountains and oceans, and the way of life that spans time and space, make seed plants play an important role in the process of evolution. In addition, with the characteristics of small size and dormancy, people can also prolong the life of seeds through the storage of seed banks, so as to achieve the purpose of protecting plant diversity.