Scientists are discovering what farmers knew for hundreds of years. Where there is fire, there is smoke and research that has identified plant growth promoters and inhibitors in smoke has been done by an international team of scientists who report discovery of a plant growth inhibitor. The study appears in ACS's Journal of Natural Products.
"Smoke plays an intriguing role in promoting the germination of seeds of many species following a fire," Johannes Van Staden and colleagues point out in the report. They previously discovered a chemical compound in smoke from burning plants that promotes seed germination. Such seeds, which remain in the undercover on forest and meadow floors after fires have been extinguished, are responsible for the surprisingly rapid regrowth of fire-devastated landscapes.
Smoke from forest fires contains substances that regulate seed germination and appear to play a key role in the rebirth and renewal of burned landscape.
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In their new research, the scientists report discovery of an inhibitor compound that may block the action of the stimulator, preventing germination of seeds. They suspect that the compounds may be part of a carefully crafted natural regulatory system for repopulating fire-ravaged landscapes. Interaction of these and other compounds may ensure that seeds remain dormant until environmental conditions are best for germination. The inhibitor thus may delay germination of seeds until moisture and temperature are right, and then take a back seat to the germination promoter in smoke.
Source: American Chemical Society