Preparation of Plant-Derived Smoke Stimulating Seed Germination and Quantification of Karrikins Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Abstract

Smoke water (SW) is produced naturally or artificially from burning plant material. It provides the germination of the seeds of many plants and accelerates the growth and development of the plant and is also used in many fields of plant science. SW preparation is a relatively easy and inexpensive method, but a standard method for its preparation has not been developed yet. Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop a low-cost efficient method to produce SW, to standardize it and to measure the amount of the main active biomolecule karrikin (KAR1) by HPLC device. It was also tested and compared in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) seeds to determine the best working concentration of the obtained SW and commercially available KAR1. SWs prepared for SW standardization were diluted at 1:100, 1:500, 1:1000, 1:5000 and 1:10000 ratios, and KAR1 was diluted at 0.01 µM, 0.1 µM, 1 µM, 5 µM and 10 µM ratios. In terms of germination, it was determined that the use of 1:1000 (60%) concentration in the SW group and 1 µM (72%) concentration in the KAR1 group was appropriate. This is the first research in which a standard method was developed for obtaining SW. In addition, thanks to the method developed in this research, we think that it will help other researchers since it is the study in which KAR1 substance is the most intense in SW according to the literature.