As a run up to our 200th Mystery Seed, we are doing few new challenges as a contest. The idea of the challenges will be to introduce some real world reasons why someone might need to identify seeds. Prizes will be awarded in Mystery Seed post 200.
Challenge 7.
Scenario:Â You are a farmer. You ordered some oat seeds and they just arrived on a truck.
Here is a sample of the seeds. Did you get the correct shipment? If not, what kind of seeds are these?
Edit: This challenge is now closed. The answer will be posted in Seed of the Week 200. For this week’s challenge, 10 points for the first correct identification, 3 points for each subsequent correct answer.Â
Only 1 more challenge to go.
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Answer to challenge 5:
The seeds found were indeed from the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera. I based the scenario of an actual case where date palm seeds thought to be 2000 years old were found in the Masada. When a scientist planted them, the seeds were still viable and sprouted. See more details at National Geographic.
Challenge 5 is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
The answers to challenge 6 will be revealed next week.
New mystery seeds and Seed of the Week answers are posted on Tuesdays.
LS says:
They look like wheat, tortillas anyone?
I think that they are not oat seeds because I think oats that you would plant have a husk covering the grain. I’m going to guess that they are barley seeds instead. How about some barley soup instead?
Wheat (Triticum sp.)