Biology

Internal Assessment

At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in
the germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

No. Words: 1,283

November 2021

“I herebly declare that this work is my own work and is the final version. I have
acknowledged each use of the words or ideas of another person, whether written
oral or visual.”
 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Abstract

Several abiotic and biochemical factors affect germination rates (Elsadek

and Yousef, 2019). In developed and developing countries “prescribed burning” is
a common practice, this consists of burning the residual failed crops. Although it’s
a convenient low-cost practice, it can bring hazardous consequences like air
pollution and killing of beneficial soil microorganisms. Plant-derived smoke
however, contains four major agricultural compounds that are heat-stable and have
prolonged durability in water. They also markedly improve seed germination in
many plant species. An affordable alternative to plant derived smoke water is
smoke liquid.

Personal engagement

Agriculture is crucial for Guatemala's economy since it makes up 25% of its

GDP and employs 50% of the Guatemalan labor force. The main crops in
Guatemala are coffee, bananas, sugarcane and cotton. Also palm tree, celery,
cauliflower and asparagus for a shorter period. How this could affect Guatemala is
by making the crops more effective and saving more potential product that could
be lost to burning of the crops, pollution or natural disasters.

Research question and justification

At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in
the germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

The topic is linked to the question because it questions how this innovative
way of germination could be even more useful than the original ones, while also
helping with air pollution and burning of crops.

Mean, standard deviation. Formula t test, trabajar en intro, descripcion de

Hypothesis

If liquid smoke solution is used, then the germination and growth will be
faster more successful, and will reach more plants than the regular biochemical or
abiotic influence like de-ionized water because liquid smoke has been proven to
have about the same agricultural compounds for germination as plant-derived
smoke (Cregg, 2011).

Variables

Controlled variables:
o Amount of seeds that will be tested.
o Amount of liquid smoke solution in which a group of seeds will be soaked.
o Amount of de-ionized water in which a group seeds will be soaked.
o Amount of liquid smoke solution with which a group of seeds will be watered.
o Amount of de-ionized water with which a group seeds will be watered.

Independent variables:
o Temperature.
o Precipitation.

Dependent variables:
o Time the seeds will take to germinate after soaked in different liquids.
o Rate of growth of the seedlings 10 days post-germination after being watered
with different liquids.
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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Materials

o 80 Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seeds

o 8 petri dishes
o Cotton
o Potting mix
o 0.05 Liters of liquid smoke to make the liquid smoke solution
o 0.3 Liters of de-ionized water to make the liquid smoke solution
o Measuring cup
o Water dispenser

Tables & Graph

Table 1.2. Average rate and germination percentage of tomato (Solanum

lycopersicum) seeds after being soaked in different liquids

Treatment Number of seeds Average rate of seed

applied germinated germination Germination percentage
Smoke water
solution 36/40 16.5% 90.0%
Water only 35/40 9.43% 87.50%

Table 1.2 shows average rate and germination percentage of tomato seeds, these calculations
were made on Microsoft Excel.

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Table 3.2. Average initial and final heights of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato
seedlings being watered with different liquids

Treatment Average initial Average final Difference

applied height (cm) height (cm) (cm) Mean SD
Liquid smoke
solution 4.3 14.1 9.8 8 3.4
Water only 3.9 11.9 8.0 9.8 2.9

Table 3.2 the initial and final height of tomato seedlings, these calculations were made on Microsoft
Excel.

Average seedling height (cm)

Figure 1. Graph

Graph 1. Effects of the treatments applied on the

growth of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato
14.5 seedlings. Error bars show standard deviation.

14.0

13.5

13.0

12.5

12.0

11.5

11.0

10.5
Liquid smoke solution De-ionized water

Treatment applied

Figure 1. Graph shows the contrast in between the initial and final height of tomato
seedlings, these calculations were made on Microsoft Excel.
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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Discussion

Table 1.2 it clearly indicates that liquid smoke solution has a higher
germination rate on Solanum lycopersicum seedlings, as well as them germinating
and therefore growing faster, which can be seen in Table 3.2 and Figure 1. This is
because smoke has various properties like NaNO3, KNO3, NH4CI and NH4NO3
(Biology teacher support material, n.d.) ; these act as chemical triggers for
germination.

However, although liquid smoke accelerated and optimized germination, the

bars of the plants´ final heights overlap in Figure 1, with the liquid smoke plants
growing higher still. This indicates that the height of de-ionized water plants was nit
drastically shorter like in other investigations that have been done with liquid
smoke or smoke water.

Strengths, weaknesses and limitations

The experiment was conducted well, since the expected results were given.
The strengths during the making of the experiment were that all the seedlings were
placed under the cotton with the same length which was 1 cm, so they could start
showing germination signs and later growth without any group being put at a
certain disadvantage. No more than two seedlings were placed on each petri dish,
since crowding can stunt their growth. Also, they received their treatment equally,
were placed under the same source of light and were covered in plastic nights
during low temperatures, since tomato seedlings need a certain amount of heat to
germinate and grow well. This proves that smoked seeds could have a big, positive
impact on Guatemalan agriculture, especially because it represents 25% of the

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

economy. It could make the economy even better and give the members of the
agricultural labor force a better lifestyle since it could speed up the germination and
growth, therefore optimizing production.

The soil used for the potting mix was actually humus, which is an especial
organic fertilizer made out of the decomposition of organic materials and waste,
processed by worms (Eisenia fetida). Even though this didn’t affect the germination
rate, it could have favored the de-ionized water seedlings, but the liquid smoke
solution seedlings might have not felt as comfortable since the chemicals already
found in the liquid smoke might have clashed with it, which could be the reason
why the height difference is not significant in between the two groups like in other
studies that have been conducted on germination.

The chemicals of liquid smoke alone are strong, and even toxic if not
controlled, so that might have prevented the seedlings from germinating even
faster or growing even more once germinated, like other studies on germination
carried out with different types of smoke.

Modifications

A soil-based potting mixture could have been used, divided into small
sections to exclude sections that could’ve had impurities that could have caused
seed dormancy or growth stunts in both groups. The weather could have affected
the growth of the seedlings once they had germinated and been transplanted, for
this purpose, a greenhouse which could’ve provided increased space and safety in
the transplanting process. Also, another way to “smoke” seeds is to use smoke
water, which can be made at home by collecting the smoke of burning any type of
organic material like leaves, grass, flowers, etc. This could have been a healthier
and less invasive germination method than a processed liquid bought at the

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

grocery store. This “smoking” method is also perfect for the Guatemalan
agricultural section, since it is very low-cost and accessible. The smoke could be
taken from a burning crop and then be put into a mixture of de-ionized water.

Conclusion

The hypothesis was correct since the use of liquid smoke made the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum seedlings faster, more
successful and reached more seeds than de-ionized water did with its regular
biochemical and abiotic influence. With further conducting of my experiment, the
seeds that germinated with liquid smoke solution starts growing earlier and more
than the ones in de-ionized water. This may have been because of some of the
chemicals found in smoke, although as I had mentioned before, smoke liquid
chemicals are stronger and may have been invasive to the seeds, but it still
contained compounds like sodium nitrate which can be a “chemical trigger” for the
seed.

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Bibliografía
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (s.f.). Plant breeding programs
in Guatemala. Obtenido de Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding
Capacity Building:
http://www.fao.org/in-action/plant-breeding/our-partners/americas/guatemala/
en/
Biology teacher support material . (s.f.). A study on the effect of smoke water on the
germination and growth of Eucalyptus pilularis. Obtenido de JACKSON'S IB
BIOLOGY:
https://biologyjackson.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/3/6/23364000/investigation_1b_
e.pdf
RIMOL Greenhouse Systems. (2014). Benefits of a Dedicated Seed Starting Greenhouse.
Obtenido de RIMOL BLOG: https://www.rimolgreenhouses.com/blog/benefits-of-
a-dedicated-seed-starting-greenhouse
Smoke-Water Enhances Germination and Seedling Growth of Four Horticultural Crops. (9
de April de 2019). Obtenido de MDPI: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-
7747/8/4/104/htm?cv=1
Cregg, B. (2011). Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em…. Obtenido de The Garden Professors:
https://gardenprofessors.com/smoke-em-if-youve-got-em/

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

APPENDIX A

Table 1. Germination of (Solanum Table 1.1. Germination of (Solanum

lycopersicum) tomato seeds after being lycopersicum) tomato seeds after being
soaked in liquid smoke solution soaked in water only

Amount of
days they
Amount of Success of Amount of days they Amount of Succes of took to
seeds germination took to germinate seeds germination germinate
1 Yes 6.0 1 Yes 10.0
2 Yes 2.0 2 Yes 10.0
3 Yes 5.0 3 Yes 10.0
4 Yes 3.0 4 Yes 7.0
5 Yes 6.0 5 Yes 6.0
6 Yes 6.0 6 Yes 7.0
7 Yes 6.0 7 Yes 7.0
8 Yes 5.0 8 Yes 7.0
9 Yes 6.0 9 Yes 8.0
10 Yes 6.0 10 Yes 7.0
11 Yes 4.0 11 Yes 7.0
12 Yes 4.0 12 Yes 10.0
13 Yes 6.0 13 Yes 10.0
14 Yes 5.0 14 Yes 9.0
15 Yes 6.0 15 Yes 10.0
16 Yes 6.0 16 No Null
17 Yes 5.0 17 No Null
18 Yes 6.0 18 No Null
19 Yes 5.0 19 No Null
20 Yes 4.0 20 No Null
21 Yes 6.0 21 Yes 7.0
22 Yes 3.0 22 Yes 8.0
23 Yes 4.0 23 Yes 9.0
24 Yes 6.0 24 Yes 10.0
25 Yes 5.0 25 Yes 7.0
26 Yes 6.0 26 Yes 7.0

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

27 Yes 6.0 27 Yes 10.0

28 Yes 5.0 28 Yes 9.0
29 Yes 4.0 29 Yes 9.0
30 Yes 6.0 30 Yes 7.0
31 Yes 6.0 31 Yes 7.0
32 Yes 4.0 32 Yes 6.0
33 Yes 5.0 33 Yes 7.0
34 Yes 7.0 34 Yes 7.0
35 Yes 6.0 35 Yes 6.0
36 No Null 36 Yes 7.0
37 No Null 37 Yes 7.0
38 No Null 38 Yes 8.0
39 Yes 8.0 39 Yes 7.0
40 No Null 40 Yes 9
APPENDIX B

Table 2. Growth of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato seedlings after being watered with smoke
liquid solution

Height of seedlings
Amount of Height of seedlings right after watering for 10
seeds Succes in germination after germination (cm) days (cm)
1 Yes 4.1 14.9
2 Yes 4.6 14.8
3 Yes 5.1 15.5
4 Yes 5.2 15.9
5 Yes 4.4 14.8
6 Yes 4.2 14.1
7 Yes 4.5 14.8
8 Yes 5.1 15.5
9 Yes 3.9 14.6
10 Yes 5.2 16.1
11 Yes 3.9 14.8
12 Yes 4.4 13.1
13 Yes 4.8 13.0
14 Yes 5.3 16.5
15 Yes 5.4 15.8
16 Yes 5.7 15.2
17 Yes 4.2 15.9
18 Yes 4.9 15.0
19 Yes 4.6 15.0
20 Yes 5.2 16.8

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

21 Yes 4.0 15.7

22 Yes 3.9 14.8
23 Yes 4.3 14.9
24 Yes 4.0 16.3
25 Yes 4.0 16.4
26 Yes 4.7 15.2
27 Yes 4.4 15.4
28 Yes 5.5 17.9
29 Yes 5.2 17.3
30 Yes 5.6 17.6
31 Yes 5.1 17.2
32 Yes 4.9 15.3
33 Yes 4.6 15.6
34 Yes 4.8 15.3
35 Yes 5.6 17.7
36 No 0.0 0.0
37 No 0.0 0.0
38 No 0.0 0.0
39 Yes 5.8 17.7
40 No 0.0 0.0

Table 2.1 Growth of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato seedlings after being watered with water only

Height of seedlings
Height of seedlings after watering them with
Amount of seeds Success in germination right after germination water only
1 Yes 3.9 12.7
2 Yes 4.1 13.9
3 Yes 4.1 11.7
4 Yes 4.4 12.9
5 Yes 5.4 11.8
6 Yes 5.1 15.1
7 Yes 5.5 15.5
8 Yes 5.1 14.8
9 Yes 3.6 12.6
10 Yes 4.2 11.1
11 Yes 3.9 11.8
12 Yes 3.4 11.3

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

13 Yes 5.3 12.1

14 Yes 5.8 12.5
15 Yes 4.6 14.8
16 No 4.7 14.2
17 No 4.2 15.2
18 No 4.9 15.0
19 No 4.6 15.7
20 No 3.2 11.1
21 Yes 5.0 14.9
22 Yes 3.9 12.0
23 Yes 4.7 13.9
24 Yes 5.0 14.0
25 Yes 3.3 11.2
26 Yes 3.7 12.8
27 Yes 3.4 11.4
28 Yes 3.4 11.8
29 Yes 3.9 12.3
30 Yes 4.8 13.1
31 Yes 4.8 13.9
32 Yes 4.1 13.3
33 Yes 4.6 15.6
34 Yes 3.3 11.3
35 Yes 3.8 12.7
36 Yes 0.0 0.0
37 Yes 0.0 0.0
38 Yes 0.0 0.0
39 Yes 5.8 15.8
40 Yes 0.0 0.0

APPENDIX C

Table 3. Initial and final heights of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato seedlings being watered with liquid
smoke solution
Treatment
applied Initial height (cm) Final height (cm) Difference (cm) Mean SD
4.1 14.9 10.8 9.8 3.4

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

4.6 14.8 10.2

5.1 15.5 10.4
5.2 15.9 10.7
4.4 14.8 10.4
4.2 14.1 9.9
4.5 14.8 10.3
5.1 15.5 10.4
3.9 14.6 10.7
5.2 16.1 10.9
3.9 14.8 10.9
4.4 13.1 8.7
4.8 13.0 8.2
5.3 16.5 11.2
5.4 15.8 10.4
5.7 15.2 9.5
4.2 15.9 11.7
Smoke
liquid
solution 4.9 15.0 10.1
4.6 15.0 10.4
5.2 16.8 11.6
4.0 15.7 11.7
3.9 14.8 10.9
4.3 14.9 10.6
4.0 16.3 12.3
4.0 16.4 12.4
4.7 15.2 10.5
4.4 15.4 11
5.5 17.9 12.4
5.2 17.3 12.1
5.6 17.6 12
5.1 17.2 12.1
4.9 15.3 10.4
4.6 15.6 11
4.8 15.3 10.5
5.6 17.7 12.1
0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0
5.8 17.7 11.9
0.0 0.0 0.0

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 At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

Table 3.1. Initial and final heights of (Solanum lycopersicum) tomato seedlings being watered with
water only

Treatment Initial height of Final height of

applied seedlings (cm) seedlings (cm) Difference (cm) Mean SD
3.9 12.7 8.8 8.0 2.9
4.1 13.9 9.8
4.1 11.7 7.6
4.4 12.9 8.5
5.4 11.8 6.4
5.1 15.1 10
5.5 15.5 10
5.1 14.8 9.7
3.6 12.6 9
4.2 11.1 6.9
3.9 11.8 7.9
3.4 11.3 7.9
5.3 12.1 6.8
5.8 12.5 6.7
4.6 14.8 10.2
4.7 14.2 9.5
4.2 15.2 11
Water only 4.9 15.0 10.1
4.6 15.7 11.1
3.2 11.1 7.9
5.0 14.9 9.9
3.9 12.0 8.1
4.7 13.9 9.2
5.0 14.0 9
3.3 11.2 7.9
3.7 12.8 9.1
3.4 11.4 8
3.4 11.8 8.4
3.9 12.3 8.4
4.8 13.1 8.3
4.8 13.9 9.1
4.1 13.3 9.2

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At what rate can liquid smoke can be more useful than de-ionized water in the
germination and growth of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings?

4.6 15.6 11
3.3 11.3 8
3.8 12.7 8.9
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
5.8 15.8 10
0 0 0

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