7/29/2019 Bio 12 Special Project Capsule Proposal

1/2

EFFECTS OF SMOKE TREATMENT ON THE SEED GERMINATION OF

Zea mays AND Oryza sativa

IntroductionForest fires are very common in hot and humid climates. They disrupt the ecological balance as

they wipe out the plant species in a particular area. However, forest fires also create an

opportunity for new plants to thrive where the fire has struck. Some species that do take

advantage of the fire were observed to have seeds which germinate faster in the aftermath of

such an event. This phenomenon has been greatly studied in countries where forest fires often

occur. Brown et al (2003) have extensively experimented on the effects of smoke on the seed

germination of various South African fauna. Auld and Tozer (1995) studied the emergence of

Acacia and Grevillea seedlings after a forest fire in Australia.

Due to the humid conditions in a tropical country, forest fires are far less common in the

Philippines. Hence, there is no local literature for the effect of fire on plant growth and

development. Research on fire ecology is therefore a novel topic in our country and could prove

to be beneficial to Philippine agriculture. If local crops respond to fire or in this particular case,

smoke derivatives, the same way as other foreign plant species, then it may be used to provide

a means of controlling plant germination times. Farmers could potentially use the vegetation left

after harvesting to induce faster germination of new crops.

Hypothesis

The group hypothesize that if the seeds are germinated in water treated with smoke from

burned grass then, the seeds will germinate at a faster rate. However, the group also believes

that if the seeds are treated with a high concentration of smoke derivatives, it will have negativeeffects on the germination of the seeds.

Objectives

1. To observe the effects of smoke from burnt vegetation on the germination of seeds.

2. To compare the rates of germination between smoke treated seeds and non-treated

seeds

3. To determine if smoke from burnt vegetation induces faster seed germination

4. To observe the effect of varying concentrations of smoke from burnt vegetation on the

germination of seeds.

5. To ascertain if high concentrations of smoke in water have an inhibitory effect on seed

germination

Materials

Zea mays seeds

7/29/2019 Bio 12 Special Project Capsule Proposal

2/2

Oryza sativa seeds

Filter paper

Distilled water

Dry grass

Petri dishes

Water smoking apparatus

Method

1. Burning dry grass in a covered glass jar will generate the smoke that will be used in the

experiment. The smoke will then be transported to a narrow plastic container containing

50 mL distilled water via rubber tubing (fig 1) for 2 hours.

2. The seeds will be germinated on filter paper treated with smoke water. Two species will

be used for this study:Zea mays and Oryza sativa. Each species will have three set-ups

(A, B, C) with 3 replicates. Set- ups A and B will have different concentrations of smoke

extract. A control group C will be set up with distilled water.

3. The seeds will be monitored for two weeks. The germination of A and B will be observed

and compared with that of the control group to determine the effect of smoke extracts on

germination. The results will then be analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Auld, T., and Tozer, M. (1995). Patterns in emergence of Acacia and Grevillea seedlings after fire. Proceedings of the

Linnean society of NSW, 115, 5 - 15.

Brown, N.A.C., Van Staden, J., Johnson, T. and Daws, M.I. (2003b) A summary of patterns in the seed germination

response to smoke in plants from the Cape Floral Region. In: Seed Conservation: Turning Science into Practice .

Smith et al. (eds). RBG Kew, pp. 563-574.

Dixon, K. W., S. Roche, and J. S. Pate. 1995. The promotive effect of smoke derived from burnt native vegetation on

seed germination of Western Australian plants. Oecologia 101:185-192.

Flematti, G. R., D. J. Merritt, M. J. Piggott, R. D. Trengove, S. M. Smith, K. W. Dixon, and E. L. Ghisalberti. 2011.

Burning vegetation produces cyanohydrins that liberate cyanide and stimulate seed germination. Nature Comm.

2:360.