Evrim Yazgin
Cosmos science journalist
Researchers at Melbourne’s La Trobe University have found ways to have more consistent seed growth across a season, providing bigger crop harvests.
The study, published in Nature Plants, uses the latest technology to look at what individual cells are doing as the seeds germinate.
“This will show us which cells we can manipulate to ensure seeds germinate together – or even delay their growth to a certain time,” says study lead and La Trobe molecular biologist Lim Chee Liew.
Seeds are the most valuable resource in food production. It’s estimated that seeds provide 70% of global food resources.
In Australia, the winter crop production in 2024–25 is forecast to increase to 55.2 million tonnes according to the federal government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. This is 17% greater than the 10-year average to the 2023–24 season. Increases are expected in wheat, barley, lentil and a near tripling of chickpea production compared to last year.
But the Department’s data also shows that about a fifth of crops went to waste in 2022–23.
About 66% of losses occurred before harvest and 24% during or after harvest. The remainder was reused material.
Losses are expected in agriculture. Most of the losses were incurred due to weather events and pests or disease. But the new La Trobe research aims to prevent additional losses.
One added reason for crop losses is that seeds can germinate at different times even if they are planted together. This means sometimes less mature crops are harvested with ripe ones.
“Uniform germination enables growers to achieve optimal plant-spacing and harvesting time,” Liew says.
“We used a new labelling system to separate all the cells from a seed then measured the individual function of every one of them,” Liew explains. “We did this while seeds were first germinating – waking up – so we could see what cells do when they first become active.”
Liew and her team carried out their experiments on mouse-ear cress – a “model organism” for studying plant biology and genetics.
“After we planted our seeds, we measured them at 12, 24 and 48 hours and identified all the different types of cells within the germinating seed,” she says.
“A seed has different tissues and types of cells, all with their own unique features and properties. Using our new technology, we found out that as a seed starts growing, these cells turn on different functions depending on what job that cell is meant to do.
“This discovery will help us develop practical solutions to ensure germination happens at the right time – and uniformly.”
