Enhancement of Germination and Seedling Growth of Wheat Seed Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma with Various Gas Sources

The influences of non-thermal discharge plasma treatment on wheat seed germination and seedling growth were investigated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma system at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. DBD plasma with various gas sources (oxygen, air, argon, and nitrogen) was employed in this study. Germination characteristics, seedling growth parameters, surface changes of the seed coat, permeability, and soluble protein of the seedlings were measured after the DBD plasma treatments. The experimental results showed that moderate-intensity DBD plasma had active impacts on wheat seed germination and seedling growth. Germination potential significantly increased by 24.0, 28.0, and 35.5% after 4 min of the air plasma, nitrogen plasma, and argon plasma treatments, respectively, compared with the control; and the shoot and root length also increased; however, no enhancement was observed after the oxygen plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed that etching effects on the seed coat occurred after the air plasma, nitrogen plasma, and argon plasma treatments, which affected the hygroscopicity and permeability of the wheat seed. In addition, moderate-intensity DBD plasma could also activate several physiological reactions in wheat seed, resulting in the increase of soluble protein production in wheat seedlings.     

Seed Germination and Early Growth Responses to Seed Pre-treatment by Non-thermal Plasma in Hemp Cultivars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cannabis sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The two key questions addressed in this paper were whether different cultivars of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) have the same reactions to non-thermal plasma seed pre-treatments and whether different plasma sources have different effects on the seeds. Seed germination and early growth of hemp in design of hierarchical analysis of variance was conducted. Differences in response among seeds of three hemp cultivars (‘Finola’, ‘Bialobrzeskie’, ‘Carmagnola’) to the non-thermal plasma pre-treatment generated by two apparatuses (gliding arc and downstream microwave devices) in four time expositions (0, 180, 300, 600 s) were found. The high importance was found in type of apparatus and time exposition. A positive/neutral effect was observed in all measured characteristics after gliding arc plasma pre-treatment. Gliding arc pre-treatment increased the length of seedlings, seedling accretion and weight of seedling in both cv. ‘Finola’ and cv. ‘Bialobrzeskie’ hemp. On the other hand, the downstream microwave apparatus had an inhibiting effect on all tested hemp cultivars. It was the first time when significant differences in response to non-thermal pre-treatment were found in taxonomically close plants. The results obtained in this study describes different effect of various plasma treatment on germination and early growth of hemp seeds. The direct pre-treatment of non-thermal plasma discharge in condition of atmospheric pressure was better. Results of our experiment show that the use of non-thermal plasma pre-treatment may increase survival of some hemp cultivars during seedlings establishment in a drier period and may be used in new agro-technical measures in unconventional agriculture.     

Effects of Saline-Alkaline Stress on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

In order to study the adaptation ability of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) in the Yellow River Delta, the sweet sorghum variety Mart was used in this study to determine the roles of different saline-alkaline ratio stress treatment during seed germination to seedling stage. The results showed that Na⁺ concentration had a significant impact on the seed germination, seedling growth, and plant survival of sweet sorghum. Increasing Na⁺ concentration led to a decline in germination rate, final germination percentage, survival percentage, plant height, and dry weight per plant, a prolonged mean time of germination, as well as loss of improvement effect of low-Na+ concentration. The interaction effect of Na⁺ concentration and pH on the mean time of germination and germination rate was not significant (p?+ concentration (100 mM), high pH reduced the mean time of germination and increased the germination rate, without decline in final germination percentage and survival percentage. Therefore, at least in the duration of seed germination to the harvest period in the research, the sweet sorghum was resistant to the pH stress (≥9.04) when the Na⁺ concentration was below 100 mM. When suffered from the saline-alkaline stress, the seedling of sweet sorghum was characterized by ecological adaptive features, such as decreased stem ratio and chlorophyll b content in leaves and increased root ratio and chlorophyll a content, in order to maintain the uptakes of water and nutrient, and carbon assimilation. When the stress intensified, the lipid oxidation products, e.g., malondialdehyde (MDA), increased in sweet sorghum seedlings. However, the increasing of soluble protein content and antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and gatalase (CAT)) was only founded in neutral low-Na⁺ concentration treatment (A₁), which indicated that high-salt concentration and pH all elicited harmful effects and limited the self-healing ability of sweet sorghum seedlings. In all, in order to grow sweet sorghum in the saline-alkaline soils of the Yellow River Delta, the salt concentration and pH value of the soil must be taken into consideration, and seeding density should be increased and supported by appropriate irrigation measures to reduce saline-alkaline stress so as to ensure the survival and growth of sweet sorghum seedlings.     

Biogenic Nanoparticle-Mediated Augmentation of Seed Germination,Growth, and Antioxidant Level of Eruca sativa Mill. Varieties

A study was undertaken to examine the influence of biogenic nanoparticles synthesized from Tridax procumbens on different parameters of seed germination, seedling growth, and various biochemical parameters in four Eruca sativa varieties having low percentage of germination. Seeds were treated with different concentrations (30 and 40 ppm) of biogenic nanoparticles, of which 30 ppm was found to be the most effective and was therefore used for subsequent studies. Initially, the effect of biogenic nanoparticles on germination percentage, speed of germination, coefficient of germination, mean germination time, shoot and root length, fresh and dry matter, and vigor index was studied. From the experiments performed and the results obtained, it was evident that the treatment with biogenic nanoparticles decreased the electrolyte leakage and level of malondialdehyde as compared to control. The treatment with biogenic nanoparticles enhanced the levels of proline and ascorbic acid and stimulated the antioxidant enzyme activities resulting in the reduced level of reactive oxygen species. These activities were found to be variety-dependent. The possible involvement of biogenic nanoparticles in the production of new pores in seed coat during their penetration, resulting in the influx of the nutrients inside the seed, is suggested. This accelerated seed germination is followed by rapid seedling growth. The present findings indicated that biogenic nanoparticles promote seed germination in E. sativa by overcoming the detrimental effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and improving the antioxidative defense system which finally result in increased seedling growth.     

Effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on the Wheat Seedlings Vigor and on the Inactivation of Microorganisms on the Seeds Surface

Effects of a cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment on the germination, production of biomass, vigor of seedlings, uptake of water of wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Eva) were investigated. The CAPP treatment influence on the inactivation of microorganisms occurring on the surface of wheat seeds was investigated also. The so-called Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge generating a cold plasma in ambient air with high power volume density of some 100 W/cm³ was used for the treatment of seeds at exposure times in the range of 10–600 s. The optical emission spectroscopy and the electrical measurements were used for estimation of CAPP parameters. The obtained results indicate that the germination rate, dry weight and vigor of seedlings significantly increased for plasma treatment from 20 to 50 s. The plasma treatment of seeds led to an extensive increase in wettability and faster germination comparing with the untreated seeds. The growth inhibition effect of CAPP on the surface microflora of wheat seeds increased with the increase of the treatment time. The efficiency of the treatment of wheat seeds artificially contaminated with pure cultures of filamentous fungi decreased in the following order: Fusarium nivale > F. culmorum > Trichothecium roseum > Aspergillus flavus > A. clavatus.     

Study of allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus erythrocorys L. crude extracts against germination and seedling growth of weeds and wheat

Allelopathic materials inside a tree can produce positive or negative change in the survival, growth, reproduction and behaviour of other organisms if they escape into the environment. To assess these effects, this work was carried out to evaluate the allelopathic impact of Eucalyptus erythrocorys L. on seed germination and seedling growth of two weeds: Sinapis arvensis L. and Phalaris canariensis L.; on one cultivated crop: Triticum durum L. Aqueous; and on ethanolic leaf extracts of E. erythrocorys L. The study was effected using four concentrations (10, 20, 25 and 30 μL/mL) while distilled water was used as a control. The results showed that the E. erythrocorys L. crude extracts had an inhibitory effect on seed germination and seedling growth of both studied weeds and wheat. The inhibition rate was increased by the increase in extract concentration. Only ethanolic extracts of E. erythrocorys L. induced a significant inhibition of seed germination of durum wheat. The effect of E. erythrocorys L. crude extracts was more severe on weeds than on durum wheat. These results indicate that the seedling growth, especially radicle elongation, was the more sensitive indicator to evaluate the effects of extracts than was the seed germination.     

Impact of Short Time Atmospheric Plasma Treatment on Onion Seeds

The paper presents the results of an experiment on the effect of cold plasma (He?+?O₂ and He?+?Air) generated in a radio frequency cold atmospheric plasma jet on the process of germination of onion cv. Wolska (Allium cepa L.) seeds. In order to determine the impact of the gas flow on the seed surface, CFD simulations and Schlieren imaging were performed and surface characteristics were studied using a digital microscope. Plasma treatment of the seeds was carried out four times (2, 5, 10 and 15 s) with one control group. Pre-sowing plasma stimulation of seeds improved the germination capacity and germination energy for all tested groups in comparison to the control. The best germination capacity and energy were obtained for seeds stimulated with 10 s of plasma treatment. Analysis of the data showed a statistically significant impact of plasma treatment on the onion seed’s germination parameters. Plasma treatment did not induce significant changes on the seed surface, as microscope images showed but length of all plasma-treated seedlings increased in comparison to control.

     

Herbicidal activity of curvuiinic acid isolated from Nimbya alternantherae

A phytotoxic compound, identified as 2-(2-acetyl-3,5-dihydroxyphenyl) acetic acid (curvulinic acid), was isolated from liquid cultures of the phytopathogenic fungus Nimbya alternantherae. The activity of curvulinic acid on seed germination and seedling growth of Capsella bursa-pastoris was evaluated. Percentage seed germination of C. bursa-pastoris was decreased with increasing concentrations of curvulinic acid. The compound had stronger inhibitory effects on root length than shoot length. At a concentration of 600 microg x mL(-1), curvulinic acid caused 73.5% and 66.7% growth inhibition on roots and shoots with IC50 values of 204.7 and 281.1 microg x mL(-1), respectively. The finding of curvulinic acid in N. alternantherae and its herbicidal activity are reported here for the first time.     

Effect of Low Temperature Plasma Treatment on Biological Characteristics and Yield Components of Wheat Seeds (Triticum aestivum L.)

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - The impacts of a low temperature plasma treatment on wheat seed germination and field growth were investigated using a plasma system about the first...     

Management of Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae) by Withania somnifera (Solanaceae)

This study was designed to evaluate the herbicidal activity of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal against the noxious weed parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.). In a laboratory bioassay, the effect of aqueous, methanol and n-hexane shoot and root extracts of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% w/v concentrations (on a fresh weight basis) of W. somnifera were tested against the germination and seedling growth of parthenium. In general, aqueous and methanol extracts markedly suppressed the germination, root and shoot growth of parthenium. The shoot extracts were more inhibitory than the root extracts. In a foliar spray bioassay, the aqueous and methanol shoot extracts of 10% w/v (on a dry weight basis) concentration were sprayed on 1-week and 2-week-old pot-grown parthenium seedlings. Two subsequent sprays were carried out 5 and 10 days after the first spray. The aqueous and methanol extracts significantly reduced the length and biomass of parthenium shoots. In a soil amendment bioassay, the crushed shoots of W. somnifera were incorporated in the soil at 1-5% w/w. Parthenium seeds were sown one week after the residue incorporation and plants were harvested 40 days after sowing. All the soil amendment treatments significantly reduced seed germination by 43-89%. The highest dosages of 4% and 5% significantly suppressed the root and shoot biomasses of parthenium. This study concludes that foliar spray of aqueous and methanol extracts, and soil amendment with leaf residue of W. somnifera, can control the germination and growth of parthenium, one of the world's worst weeds.     

Prospective Applications of Low Frequency Glow Discharge Plasmas on Enhanced Germination,Growth and Yield of Wheat

Medium pressure (~ 10 torr) low frequency (3–5 kHz) glow discharge (LFGD) plasmas were applied to treat wheat (Triticum aestivum) seeds to investigate the effects on water absorption, seed germination rate, seedling growth and yield. The LFGD plasmas were produced with air and air/O ₂. Optical emission spectroscopic diagnostic methods were revealed that the \({\text{N}}_{2} \left( {{\text{C}}^{3}\Pi _{\text{u}} - {\text{B}}^{3}\Pi _{\text{g}} } \right)\), \({\text{N}}_{2}^{ + } \left( {{\text{B}}^{2}\Sigma _{\text{u}}^{ + } - {\text{X}}^{2}\Sigma _{\text{g}}^{ + } } \right)\) and \({\text{N}}_{2} \left( {{\text{B}}^{3}\Pi _{\text{g}} - {\text{A}}^{3}\Sigma _{\text{u}}^{ + } } \right)\) produced with air, and O species were produced along with nitrogen species with air/O ₂ plasmas, respectively. The SEM images were revealed that the surface architectures and functionalities of the seeds were modified due to plasma treatments. Water absorption was found to increase with treatment time. 6 min treatment was provided 95–100% seed germination. The plants grown from treated seeds for 3 and 9 min duration by air/O ₂ plasma were showed the highest growth activity and dry matter accumulation. Total chlorophyll contents of the leaves, longest spikes and number of spikes/spikelet were also increased. The wheat yield was increased ~ 20% over control by 6 min treatment with air/O ₂ plasma. Overall results revealed that LFGD plasmas can significantly change seed surface architecture, water absorption, germination rate, seedling growth and yield of wheat.     

Effects of Oxygen (O2) Plasma Treatment in Promoting the Germination and Growth of Chili

In general, seed germination is improved by low-pressure plasma treatment using precursors such as air, nitrogen, O_2, and argon, etc. For the first time, low-pressure O₂ plasma was used to treat chili seeds in this study. When compared to untreated and vacuum-treated seeds, O₂ plasma treatment using the discharge power of 80 W for 60 s significantly improves chili seed germination and growth. The effect of vacuum on the germination and growth of chili seeds was also studied and shown to be negligible. The physical and chemical changes induced by O₂ plasma treatment were investigated to understand the plasma treatment to germination improvement. Combinatory etching and chemical modification aided imbibition and increased germination percentage in this O₂ plasma treatment on chili seeds. The success of this method has the potential to be scaled up to solve food security issues with seeds that would otherwise struggle to germinate.

     

Effect of γ-ray irradiation on the germinating characteristics of wheat seed

Few researches have been reported on the long-term germination characteristics and the effect of high gamma radiation dose on cereal seeds. In this paper, to observe the effects of gamma irradiation (0-3 kGy) on the germination of wheat seed in long-term (within 20 months), wheat seed was dried after irradiation and the germination experiment during storage time was conducted. It was found that the lengths of buds of irradiated wheat seeds diminished, the roots of irradiated wheat seeds disappeared, and no germinations in irradiated wheat seed was found. The influence of γ-ray irradiation on roots was more significant than that on buds. After long-term storage, the germination of irradiated wheat seeds increased.     

Magnetic Field Treatments Improves Sunflower Yield by Inducing Physiological and Biochemical Modulations in Seeds

Magnetic seed enhancement has been practicing as a promising tool to improve germination and seedling growth of low vigor seeds stored under suboptimal conditions, but there is still ambiguity regarding the prospects for magnetism in oilseeds. Present study elucidates the potential of magnetic seed stimulation to improve sunflower germination, growth and yield. Germination and emergence tests were performed to optimize the strength of the magnetic field to sunflower seed enhancement. The seeds were directly exposed to magnetic field strengths of 50, 100 and 150 millitesla (mT) for 5, 10 and 15 min (min) and then standard germination tests were performed. Secondly, the emergence potential of untreated seeds was compared with seed exposed to hydropriming, priming with 3% moringa leaf extract (MLE), priming with magnetically treated water (MTW) for 10 min and priming with 3% MLE solution prepared in magnetically treated water (MTW + MLE). Germination, emergence, seedling growth and seed biochemical properties were used to select the best treatment for field evaluation. The results of the study revealed that magnetic seed treatment with 100 mT for 10 min and seed priming with 3% MLE solution in magnetically treated water (MTW + MLE) significantly improved emergence, crop growth rate and sunflower yield.     

Influence of Helium-Neon Laser Irradiation on Seed Germination In Vitro and Physico-Biochemical Characters in Seedlings of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) var. Mattu Gulla

In the present study, the seeds of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) var. Mattu Gulla were irradiated with single exposure of He–Ne laser at different doses of 5–40 J cm^?2 and germinated aseptically. Thirty day old seedlings were harvested and the germination, growth, physiological and biochemical parameters were estimated and compared with un‐irradiated control seedlings. A significant enhancement in growth characters were noted with respect to length, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots. In addition, chlorophyll (a and b), carotenoid content, anthocyanin and amylases (α and β) activities were found to be altered. Significant alterations in percentage of seed germination (P < 0.001) and time to 50% germination (P < 0.001) were observed in the irradiated seeds compared with the un‐irradiated controls. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that low dose (5–30 J cm^?2) of He–Ne laser irradiation enhanced the germination process and altered growth, by positively influencing physiological and biochemical parameters of the brinjal seedlings compared with un‐irradiated control under in vitro conditions.     

Strong endothermic effects caused by allelopathic interactions during growth of mustard,rape, wheat and clover seedlings

In order to better understand the processes of allelopathic interactions and to elucidate the impact of various herbal extracts on seedling growth, investigations were initiated using isothermal calorimetry as a monitor. Seeds of wheat, mustard, rape and clover were germinated on aqueous herbal extracts from arnica, hypericum, milfoil, ribwort, sage and sunflower for 24 h (until the root was visible). Then, five seedlings were put into a calorimeter ampoule with herbal extracts. The specific thermal power (=heat production rate) of the seedlings during their growth was measured by isothermal calorimetry at 20 °C. Heat rate data were collected for 48 h. As a control seedlings were grown on water. The patterns of the thermal power–time curve during seedling growth on the herbal extracts and on water were completely different. In comparison with the water control, seedling growth on the herbal extracts was accompanied by a strong exothermic peak (first phase), whereas in the second phase distinct endothermic peaks were observed. The time after which the maxima of exo- and endothermic peaks occurred strongly depended on the seedling species and the origin of herbal extract. Similarly, the total thermal effect connected with seedling growth was correlated with the seedling species and herbal extract type.     

Enhanced In situ Activity of Peroxidases and Lignification of Root Tissues after Exposure to Non-Thermal Plasma Increases the Resistance of Pea Seedlings

Improving the germination of economically important crops and the condition of young plants is a major challenge currently facing agricultural practice. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the four most important cultivated legumes, along with groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), soybean (Glycine max L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Due to the high protein content (23–33%), there is an interest in growing this crop as a source of protein for humans and animals. In this study, we focused on the effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) on the decontamination and germination of pea seeds, on young seedling growth and production parameters, and on increasing their resistance and mechanical strength. We can state that germination increased by 10 to 25% after plasma treatment, and the most significant decontamination effect was detected when using non-thermal plasma generated in the ambient air (A-variants) and in the nitrogen atmosphere (N-variants). The increased in situ activity of peroxidases (POX) in the cell walls of A-variants and N-variants is also closely related to the increase in the mechanical strength of the cell walls and thus contributes to the higher resistance of these seedlings. This is also illustrated by the differences in lignin deposition among the different variants after CAPP treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first study concerning the influence of CAPP on the lignification of root tissues and on increasing the strength and resistance of plants.

     

Silver Nanoparticle-Mediated Enhancement in Growth and Antioxidant Status of Brassica juncea

Metal nanoparticles can potentially be used as tools for engineering biological redox reactions. Present study underlines the effect of silver metal nanoparticles (at 0, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400?ppm) on the growth and antioxidant status of 7-day-old Brassica juncea seedlings. Fresh weight, root and shoot length, and vigor index of seedlings is positively affected by silver nanoparticle treatment. It induced a 326?% increase in root length and 133?% increase in vigor index of the treated seedlings. Improved photosynthetic quantum efficiency and higher chlorophyll contents were recorded in leaves of treated seedlings, as compared to the control seedlings. Levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide decreased in the treated seedlings. Nanoparticle treatment induced the activities of specific antioxidant enzymes, resulting in reduced reactive oxygen species levels. Decrease in proline content confirmed the improvement in antioxidant status of the treated seedlings. The observed stimulatory affects of silver nanoparticles are found to be dose dependent, with 50?ppm treatment being optimum for eliciting growth response. Present findings, for the first time indicate that silver nanoparticles promote the growth of B. juncea seedlings by modulating their antioxidant status.     

Improvement in the Water Retention Characteristics of Sandy Loam Soil Using a Newly Synthesized Poly(acrylamide-<em>co</em>-acrylic Acid)/AlZnFe₂O₄ Superabsorbent Hydrogel Nanocomposite Material

The use of some novel and efficient crop nutrient-based superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposites (SHNCs), is currently becoming increasingly important to improve the crop yield and productivity, due to their water retention properties. In the present study a poly(Acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/AlZnFe₂O₄ superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite was synthesized and its physical properties characterized using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), FE-SEM and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. The effects of different levels of SHNC were studied to evaluate the moisture retention properties of sandy loam soil (sand 59%, silt 21%, clay 19%, pH 7.4, EC 1.92 dS/m). The soil amendment with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 w/w% of SHNC enhanced the moisture retention significantly at field capacity compared to the untreated soil. Besides, in a separate experiment, seed germination and seedling growth of wheat was found to be notably improved with the application of SHNC. A delay in wilting of seedlings by 5-8 days was observed for SHNC-amended soil, thereby improving wheat plant growth and establishment.     

Phytotoxic effects and a phytotoxin from the invasive plant Xanthium italicum Moretti

The allelopathic effects of different parts of the plant Xanthium italicum Moretti were evaluated by conducting bioassays against two dicot plants, amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus L.) and lettuce (Lectuca sativa L.), and two monocot plants, wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn) and ryegrass (Lolium multiforum). Leaf and fruit extract possessed the strongest biological activity, killing all seeds of four test species at 0.05 g/mL concentration. Fruits were chosen for further investigation because of their high biomass. This led to the isolation and identification of a phytotoxin-Xanthinosin-a known sesquiterpene lactone. Xanthinosin significantly affected seedling growth of all test species at 160 μM concentration. Cultivating seeds in 800 μM xanthinosin solution resulted in a great decrease in seedling growth of all test species, especially for the two dicot plants, amaranth and lettuce, whose root length was inhibited by 78% and 89%, respectively. By comparison, the numbers were 69% lower for wheat, and 66% for ryegrass, two monocot plants. When treated with 4 mM xanthinosin solution, seed germination of all test plants was almost completely inhibited. The possibility of utilizing xanthinosin as an eco-friendly herbicide was discussed.