Changes in Agricultural Performance of Common Buckwheat Induced by Seed Treatment with Cold Plasma and Electromagnetic Field

Abstract

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.

The Potential of Cold Plasma and Electromagnetic Field as Stimulators of Natural Sweeteners Biosynthesis in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

“…Numerous studies (reviewed in [ 17 ]) reported that effects of seed treatment with EMF can induce substantial positive effects on germination and seedling growth. Comparison of CP and EMF effects on the same plant species (including effects on the seed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal [ 38 ], seed phytohormones and protein expression in seedlings [ 39 ], content of secondary metabolites [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]) showed that, for certain plant species, EMF treatment is not less effective tool for seed priming than CP, although the reactive species are not involved in seed interaction with EMF.…”

“…Stimulating effects of these stressors on seed germination, morphometric parameters and biomass production of various plants are well described (see recent reviews [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]); however, much less is known about CP and EMF-induced changes in secondary metabolite biosynthesis and underlying mechanisms. We have demonstrated the potential of CP and EMF to increase the amount of vitamin C, caffeic acid derivatives and radical scavenging capacity in purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea ) [ 23 ], non-psychotropic canabinoids in industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa ) [ 24 ], isoflavones in leaves [ 25 ] and root exudates [ 26 ] of red clover ( Trifolium pratense ), different secondary metabolites in common buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ) [ 27 ]. Additionally, the germination rate or yield was increased in most of the mentioned studies.…”

“…On the other hand, although CP and EMF treatment effects were assessed for numerous plant species and on various morphometric and biochemical plant traits [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], it was never applied for treatment of Stevia rebaudiana .…”

Biochemical and Physiological Plant Processes Affected by Seed Treatment with Non-Thermal Plasma

“…Most of these reports represent studies limited to the effects on germination and early seedling growth (from 4 days to several weeks), indicating that these two aspects are commonly recognized as the main criteria for estimating plant response to NTP treatment. Neutral [ 49 , 64 , 70 , 76 , 92 , 105 , 107 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 ] or negative [ 35 , 47 , 72 , 81 , 105 , 110 , 112 , 113 , 114 ] effects were reported in a smaller number of studies. This might be explained by the limited chances of publishing negative or neutral results, although such data may also be relevant.…”

“…Moreover, a significant difference in the response to seed treatment with NTP was observed in three different pine species [ 112 ] or in different cultivars of pea [ 37 ], poppy [ 116 ], industrial hemp [ 105 ], rapeseed [ 52 , 118 ], brown rice [ 79 ], red clover [ 54 ], barley [ 90 ], wheat [ 110 ], and buckwheat [ 109 ]. Differences in the effects on germination and growth have been reported even for different genetic families (half-sib) of Norway spruce [ 70 ].…”