![](/profile/get-photo.asp?memberid=17978&type=profile&rnd=617) West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge | Why when I plant domesticated seeds on purpose, if the moisture, soil temperature and depth are favourable they germinate immediately and all at once, but the wild oat seeds beside it under the same conditions will wait their turns and germinate over the course of the growing season and even the next and the next...
It obviously has been a very effective evolutionary strategy, but how does it work? And why do domesticated crops refuse to do so? Using the example of oats, and assuming that the wild oats share a common ancestor, Did humans select crops or strains that germinate consistently, or have the wild oats developed this strategy to counter our efforts?
Is the timing of germination random, does each seed have a different coating, or moisture/temperature requirement, or is simply the depth they are coming from? |