Germinating Molecule in Smoke Identified

A team of Australian scientists has identified the molecule in smoke that makes plant seeds germinate after bushfires, a goal sought by biologists since it was determined by South African researchers that smoke, not heat or ash, induced seed germination.

The team from Perth's Kings Park Botanical Gardens, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University announced the finding July 9, in the journal Science.

“The molecule is so powerful that a concentration equivalent to a third of a teaspoon in a domestic swimming pool is enough to germinate seeds”. The group has already patented the molecule and products containing the chemical could be on the market within five years for use in regeneration of wilderness land or possibly weed control.

Link: Secret of seed growth all smoke and molecules from The Australian (article expired).

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:12 PM on August 12, 2004

Want to talk about this weblog entry? As of August 22, 2006, all new entries and most older entries are cross-posted to the UBC Botanical Garden Discussion Forums for discussion (you might need to use the search function to find the thread you are looking for).

This is an effort to reduce the amount of time spent dealing with spam (the forums are very good at stopping spam, the weblog commenting system is not so good).

Older entries already containing comments remain open for discussion.