The naturally occurring seed germination stimulant karrikinolide is formed from the combustion of plant material including cellulose. It has previously been reported that combustion of simple carbohydrates such as d-glucose does not produce extracts containing karrikinolide. Moreover, it was reported that extracts with germination-promoting ability could be obtained only by combustion of simple carbohydrates in the presence of amino acids such as l-glycine. By employing a ¹³C-labeled karrikinolide to physically quantify natural karrikinolide, we now show that it is produced from combustion of simple carbohydrates in similar amounts regardless of whether L-glycine is present or not. The addition of l-glycine appears to be beneficial in reducing the inhibitory effect of smoke extracts and provides a greater concentration range for effective germination-promoting activity.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	karrikinolide, karrikin, germination stimulant, smoke, combustion, xylose
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant biology
Research Field:	Plant physiology
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
UTAS Author:	Smith, SM (Professor Steven Smith)
ID Code:	101459
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	19
Deposited By:	Plant Science
Deposited On:	2015-06-24
Last Modified:	2017-11-02
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