The effects of presowing treatment of red clover seeds with cold plasma (5 and 7 min) and electromagnetic field (10 and 15 min) on plant agronomic performance were studied. Seed treatments stimulated germination and this effect correlated with changes in the balance of seed phytohormones: a decreased amount of abscisic acid and an increased gibberellin/abscisic acid ratio. Experiments performed in rhizoboxes revealed that seed treatments stimulated root growth and root nodulation. Stressor and dose‐specific changes in the amounts of flavonoids important for communication with nitrogen‐fixing strains of rhizobacteria were detected in the root exudates. The results suggest that besides changes in plant's internal processes, the response of plants to seed treatment involves beneficial modulation of plant communication with microorganisms.

This study aimed to estimate the dependence of the effects of radish (Raphanus sativus) seed irradiation with atmospheric cold plasma (CP) on physiological seed condition or dormancy status. Seeds were treated for different durations with a scalable dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) device. The relationship between the effect of CP on germination kinetics with changes in the content of phytohormones in seeds stored for different periods of time after harvesting (1, 5, and 7 months) was estimated. CP treatment efficiently stimulated germination only in freshly harvested (not after-ripened seeds), and these changes correlated with a decrease in abscisic acid (ABA) and an increase in gibberellin (GA) content. CP treatment induced a fast decrease in ABA content and ABA/GA ratio in after-ripened seeds (5 months after harvesting) but did not stimulate germination. Primary evidence of direct ABA modification by the reactive compounds from the gaseous phase of CP was obtained.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pre-sowing seed treatment with cold plasma (CP) and an electromagnetic field (EMF) on the agricultural performance of two cultivars of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)—‘VB Vokiai’ and ‘VB Nojai’. For this, the effects of CP and EMF on seed germination, plant growth in the field, photosynthetic efficiency, biomass production, seed yield, and the amount of secondary metabolites and minerals in the harvested seeds were estimated. Although the percentage of seedlings that emerged under field conditions decreased by 11–20%, seed treatments strongly improved buckwheat growth and yield. Irrespective of differences in the dynamics of changes in the growth and photosynthetic activity between the two cultivars, the weight of seeds collected per plant for both cultivars was significantly higher (up to 70–97%) compared to the control. The biochemical composition of the harvested seeds (Fe, Zn, quercetin content) was also altered by seed treatments. Thus, pre-sowing treatment of buckwheat seeds with CP and EMF substantially stimulated plant growth in the field, increased biomass production, seed yield and nutritional quality. The results obtained strongly support the idea that plant seed treatment with physical stressors has great potential for use in agriculture.

Hydration of oat bran including fermentation by rye sourdough was studied. Three types of oat bran suspensions were prepared (a control, one with whole meal rye flour added, and one with rye starter added). The suspensions were incubated for 1, 2, 3 and 4 hr. β‐Glucan content and solubilities of protein and β‐glucan were analyzed. Viscosity of the supernatants of oat bran suspensions was determined. Neither the rye sourdough nor the rye flour alone had a significant effect on the total β‐glucan content of oat bran suspensions. However, the addition of rye, either as whole meal rye flour or as sourdough starter, markedly increased the solubility of β‐glucan and proteins and simultaneously decreased the viscosity of the water‐soluble fraction of oat bran suspension. This suggests that a hydrolysis of β‐glucan had occurred that could change the rheological properties of oat bran in baking and the physiological potential of oat bran in nutrition.

In this study, the effects of seed treatments with different stressors, such as cold plasma (CP), a vacuum and an electromagnetic field (EMF), on the in vitro germination of industrial hemp cv. Futura 75 were compared with the effects on germination in the field, plant growth, and the amount of major cannabinoids in the leaves and inflorescences of female plants. CP and EMF (but not vacuum) treatments improved in vitro seed germination, but had no impact on germination in the field. EMF treatment increased the weight of the above-ground part of male and female plants grown for 4 months by 65–70% and the number of female inflorescences by 70%. CP stimulated the growth of male plants (weight increased 1.4 times) but reduced the growth of female plants. Vacuum treatment did not induce changes in the growth of female and male plants. Vacuum and EMF treatments did not change the amount of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), but CP decreased the CBDA content in hemp leaves by 41%. Vacuum treatment increased the amount of CBDA in female plant inflorescences by 26%. Thus, hemp seed treatment with EMF has a potential application for increasing the biomass of female plants. CP treatment can be used to increase male plant production while vacuum treatment can stimulate CBD production.

This study aimed to estimate the effects of cold plasma (CP) and electromagnetic field (EMF) treatment of red clover (Trifolium pratense) seeds with different coat colors on germination kinetics, the content of seed phytohormones, and the growth of seedlings. Seeds of red clover cultivar ‘Arimaiciai’ were treated with radio-frequency EMF or capacitively coupled low-pressure CP for different durations. There were no differences in germination kinetics between yellow, brown, and dark purple seeds in control, but the germination rate of seeds treated with CP and EMF depended on seed color: The germination of yellow seeds was stimulated stronger compared to dark purple and brown seeds, and EMF did not stimulate germination in brown seeds. The content of phytohormones in control seeds and the shift in their amount induced by seed treatments were also strongly dependent on seed color. No relationship was found between the effect on germination kinetics and changes in phytohormone levels. In the control, seedlings growing from the yellow seeds were heavier, and the number of root nodules was 12.5 times larger compared to seedlings of dark purple seeds. Seed treatments with CP and EMF significantly increased the number of root nodules, and this effect was stronger in seedlings from dark purple seeds compared to those from yellow seeds.

Background and Objective. Hyperthermia is a promising modality for cancer treatment that urgently requires detailed knowledge on molecular and cellular processes for the rational development of treatment protocols. The thorough study of the response of the inner membrane of heart and liver mitochondria to hyperthermia was performed in order to establish the pattern of the hyperthermia-induced changes in the membrane barrier function. Material and Methods. The isolated mitochondria from rat heart and liver (of both genders) were used for experiments, as well as mitochondria isolated from the perfused male rat liver. Changes in the membrane permeability were evaluated by mitochondrial respiration in state 2 or by estimation of the modular kinetics of the membrane leak. Results. The inner membrane of isolated mitochondria from healthy tissues was found to be an extremely sensitive target of hyperthermia that exerted the response even in the febrile range. More severe hyperthermia compromised the inner mitochondrial membrane function; however, this response was tissue-specific and, to some extent, gender-dependent (for liver mitochondria). The data obtained by direct heating of isolated mitochondria were validated by experiments on the perfused liver. Conclusions. The obtained results imply a crucial importance of the evaluation of the tissue- and gender-specific differences while developing or improving the protocols for hyperthermic treatment or combinatory therapy.

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