2006-09-18 09:41:26 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Botany
The effects of alcohol on seed germination and dormancy depend on alcohol concentration, duration of the treatment and plant species. Longer exposure may kill the seed, but in some cases, alcohol can break the seed dormancy, for example in Panicum capillare, Digitaria sanguinalis, D. ischaemum, Echinochloa crus-galii and Setaria faberi. Concentration of about 0.5 M is effective for dormancy breaking. Alcohol acts on cell membranes, but can also dissolve and wash out inhibitors that may be present in the seed coat.
Good article for you:
R. B. Taylorson and S. B. Hendricks (1979): Overcoming dormancy in seeds with ethanol and other anesthetics.
Planta 145 (5) 507-519
Abstract:
Dormancy in fall panicum (Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx.) caryopses (seeds) is overcome by imbibition at 35° C in ethanol solutions. Whereas germination in the absence of ethanol depends on active phytochrome, the seeds may germinate in darkness after treatment with 0.2 to 0.5 M ethanol. Ethanol overcomes dormancy also in seeds of several other weedy grass species. Ethyl ether, chloroform, methanol, and acetone act similarly to ethanol. We suggest that this action depends on modifyng the properties of a membrane(s) in a manner related to the actions of other anesthetics.
2006-09-18 21:50:58 · answer #1 · answered by srpkinja33 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's bad in humans, so I don't think it would be good for plants. Most plants don't grow in alcohol--the only planty-type thing in alcohol is yeast, which is a fungus (not actually a plant.) But even yeast gets killed off when the alcohol gets to a certain concentration. That's why regular (non-fortified) wine only gets to a certain level of alcohol. To get fortified wine, you put straight-up alcohol, or distilled alcohol in a batch of fermenting wine, which kills the yeast in the main batch of wine. So the alcohol is higher, the wine is sweeter (because the yeast doesn't eat all the sugar), and Ripple is born.
But I don't think a seed would make it long in alcohol.
2006-09-18 20:49:16 · answer #2 · answered by SlowClap 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alcohol tends to dehydrate tissue, so I image it would prevent germination.
2006-09-18 17:03:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"effect"
2006-09-18 16:52:34 · answer #4 · answered by Pseudo Obscure 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋