Where there's smoke… There’s Germination?

Abstract

Seeds of many fire-adapted plants are very difficult to germinate, and some species have been impossible to propagate by seed. Recent research has shown that fumigating seeds with smoke or soaking them in smoke solutions improves germination of many species. The exact physiological mechanism for this response is unknown but using smoke as a pre-sowing seed treatment holds considerable promise for propagating plants for restoration of fire-adapted communities. In particular, smoke treatments can be used to germinate seeds of recalcitrant species. This paper reviews the current literature on smoke treatment of seeds with the purpose of encouraging these treatments on other species.