### ch02p58 tough rachis helps seeds stay on the ear <blockquote class=paraphrase> Wild cereals have a brittle rachis, which helps with seed dispersal because the seeds break off the “ear” into the wind, like dandelion fluff except brittle rachis shatters instead of just dislodging. The domestication process might not have consciously selected for tough rachis (i.e. where all the seeds stay on the ear), since it’s basically an inevitable consequence of harvesting and then moving the harvested cereals and then re-seeding a portion of the harvested grain; only the seeds that made it back to home base would get reseeded into fields and pampered with good soil and extra watering efforts. </blockquote> - [[Tamed by Alice Roberts#ch02p58 tough rachis helps seeds stay on the ear|View in Vault]]