The effect of water-soluble extract of tobacco smoke condensate from commercial filter and defiltered cigarettes on seed germination

Abstract

The effect of water-soluble extracts of tobacco smoke condensate (TSC) from two commercial cigarettes, with filters and defiltered, on seed germination of onion ( Allium cepa) and tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum) was investigated. One of the cigarettes had a 2 cm cellulose acetate filter while the other had a filter comprised of 1 cm cellulose acetate followed by 1 cm activated charcoal. The effect of TSC on germination of tomato and onion seeds varied with different concentrations. Higher concentrations ( 0·05%, 0·10% and 0·25%) of TSC from defiltered cigarettes proved more effective than TSC from cigarettes with filters in inhibiting onion seed germination, as compared with tomato. In tomato, lower concentrations ( 0·01%, 0·025%, 0·05% and 0·10%) of TSC from these cigarettes, with filters or defiltered, did not significantly prevent seed germination. The highest concentration ( 0·25%), however, did effectively prevent seed germination. At the end of the experiment, non-germinated seeds treated with the highest concentration ( 0·25%) of TSC from both filter and defiltered cigarettes were washed four times with distilled water and then allowed to germinate on moist filter paper. Onion and tomato seeds, which had been previously treated with TSC from cigarettes with filters, started germination which was as high as the controls. However, the seeds which had been exposed to TSC from defiltered cigarettes responded differently. Tomato seeds germinated while onion seeds did not. Thus, the inhibition induced by 0·25% of TSC from defiltered cigarettes was permanent in onion and temporary in tomato.