related anecdote:
Beal, a botanist at Michigan State University in the 19th c (I believe) started an experiment. He buried twelve mason jars containing representative samples of common weed / wildflower seeds. Each ten years he'd dig up a jar and see how many would germinate. After his death, the secret burial location was preserved, and circa 1980 the last of the jars was opened (the longest botanical experiment in history, if memory serves). Over 40 per cent of the seeds germinated, despite the passage of 120 years.
:')
Did the wheat seeds from King Tut's tomb germinate?