Changes in germination, seedling growth, phytohormone content and proteome induced in Helianthus annuus by pre-sowing seed treatment with stressors

Seed treatment with cold plasma (CP) or electromagnetic field (EMF) is a modern eco-agricultural technology for stimulation of plant germination and performance. Numerous studies demonstrated the effectiveness of such treatments for enhancing germination and growth of a large variety of crops, however the molecular basis of seed response to treatments remains elusive. In order to gain an insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying effect of stressors on plant seeds, we estimated changes induced in differential protein expression of the model plant – sunflower (Helianthus annuus). We studied the effects of pre-sowing seed treatment, using vacuum (7 min), radio-frequency EMF (5-15 min) and CP (2-7 min), on germination and growth of the confectionary cultivar “Nyķrségi fekete”. The germination tests were performed both in vitro and in substrate and the obtained results indicated that the treatments with CP and EMF had no effect on germination yield while vacuum and EMF (10 and 15 min) treatments increased germination rate. We demonstrate that seed treatments with CP induce decrease in seed phytohormone content – decrease in content of abscisic acid and increase in content of gibberelins. Treatments had effect on morphology of seedlings that developed from the CP (7 min) and EMF (15 min) treated seeds resulting in reduced height/weight of stems and increased weight of leaves, respectively. [...]Aplinkotyros katedraBiochemijos katedraGamtos mokslų fakultetasLietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centrasLietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centro Sodininkystės ir daržininkystės institutasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta