Smoke chemical identified that makes some seeds germinate
10 July 2004
by Richard
Conan-Davies
|
It has been know for a little while that smoke from bushfires is needed to make some seeds germinate. Botanists now from Western Australia have identified the exact chemical in bushfire smoke that causes or promotes germination. It is a substance called a butenolide. The team led by Dr. Gavin R. Flematti and Kingsley W. Dixon of Kings Park and Botanic Garden in Perth analysed the smoke given off by burning filter paper. The concentration needed is not very high at only 1 part per billion. They detected the chemical compound with a technique called Spectroscopy ( looking at the light absorbed by chemicals). They successfully tested the isolated chemical on about 10 different species of plants. This research could help to restore land that has been degraded by promoting plant growth, perhaps by "smoking a field" by bubbling smoke through water and then sprinkling it on the soil with seeds. |
 Bushfire smoke is need to germinate some seeds. |
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