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Botany Science Fair Project

Smoke, NO2, and Black Pine Germination

Hard
Smoke, NO2, and Black Pine Germination | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can smoke from a wildfire actually help seeds sprout? Some plants evolved in fire-prone areas. Their seeds may respond to chemicals found in smoke. You test this idea with black pine seeds split into three groups. One group gets plain water only. A second group gets smoked using burning filter paper before watering. A third group gets exposed to NO2 gas before watering. The water-only and smoked groups tie at four sprouted seeds each. The NO2 group produces zero sprouts and starts growing mold.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the seeds exposed to the NO2 gas will have the highest germination rate.

Method & Materials

You will obtain black pine seeds, expose some to smoke, water, and NO2, and then observe the germination rate.
You will need black pine seeds, filter paper, water, and NO2.

Results

The results showed that the seeds exposed to water and the seeds exposed to smoke had the same germination rate, while the seeds exposed to NO2 showed no signs of germination and began to show traces of mold. This observation stands out because it contradicted the hypothesis.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores the effects of smoke on the germination rate of black pine seeds.

Also Consider

Variations to consider include testing different types of smoke, different types of seeds, and different types of gases.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related video

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