seed germination and fertilizer

[Beverly Erlebacher]

In article <3gm9hv$777 at newsbf02.news.aol.com> cheesenips at aol.com (CheeseNips) writes:
>hello!  I am trying to help a student  determine if there is any
>difference in seed germination when fertilizer is used.  If anyone can
>help, it would be greatly appreciated.  It is science project time.  
>Thank you.

Pepper (capsicum) seeds are alleged to have faster and better germination
if soaked briefly in a potassium nitrate solution.  One idea is that wild
peppers are often eaten by birds and the seeds deposited in a bit of guano,
and the plants are adapted to that.

Your student might want to compare several unrelated species to see which
benefit from a KNO3 soak, and whether this correlates with whether the seed
is borne in a bird-attracting fruit.

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada