Effects of seed treatment with cold plasma and electromagnetic field on buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) seeds germination, seedlings growth and antioxidant capacity

Abstract

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a popular food component in Lithuania characterized by high nutritional value due to the presence of potential antioxidants, such as rutin, other phenolic substances, and tocopherols. We studied the effects of pre-sowing seed treatment with radio-frequency electromagnetic field (EMF, 5-15 min) and cold plasma (CP, 2-7 min), on germination (in vitro and in substrate), seedling growth and radical scavenging activity of two buckwheat cultivars – ‘Nojai’ and ‘Vokiai’ (seeds were kindly provided by dr. D. Romanovska from Voke branch of Lithuanian Research centre for Agriculture and Forestry). Final germination percentage indicating seed viability in control and all treated groups in vitro and in substrate was about 100%. Germination tests in vitro revealed that CP treatments slightly increased germination rate only in “Nojai”, (T50 decreased by 7% in CP 7 min group), EMF treatments had no effect on germination rate in vitro. CP and EMF effects on germination in substrate were different from their effects in vitro: both CP and EMF decreased germination rate of ‘Nojai’ (by 14 and 15% CP 2 min and EMF 15 min, respectively) while germination of ‘Vokiai’ was not affected. Despite suppressing effects on germination rates in substrate, CP and EMF treatments induced positive changes in morphometric parameters of seedlings grown for 6 weeks in the climatic chamber under controlled conditions. For both cultivars height and wet weight of seedlings, the average number of leaves per plant and the number of flowering plants in experimental groups grown from treated seeds was larger (up to 15, 33, 33 and 34%, respectively) in comparison to the corresponding control, while roots were longer only in ‘Vokiai’ cultivar plants from treated seeds groups (up to 14 %) compared to control..[...]