Effects of ultrasonication on increased germination and improved seedling growth of aged grass seeds of tall fescue and Russian wildrye

Abstract

The effects of ultrasonic treatments on the germination and seedling growth of aged tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and Russian wild rye (Psathyrostaehys juncea Nevski) seeds were determined using orthogonal matrix experimental design with four ultrasonic factors. The multivariate analysis of variance detected significant differences and coupling effects of the pair-wise factors. The activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Peroxidase (POD) and the Malondialdehyde (MDA) content were affected. The ultrasonic treatments had positive effects on the germination percentage (GP) of the aged seeds and the growth of the seedlings (GS) and therefore we provided a basic evidence for the application of ultrasonic treatment to pretreat aged grass seeds. For the four ultrasonic factors, the optimal conditions were a sonication time of 36.7 min, a sonication temperature of 35 °C, an output power of 367 W and a seed soaking time 4.1 h after binary quadratic regressions analyses. The ultrasonic treatment has the potential to improve seedling growth. Moreover, the longevity of the tall fescue and the Russian wild rye seeds was approximately 9.5 and 11.5 years, respectively, under natural conditions of storage. The physiological mechanisms that might contribute to the improved GP and GS were discussed.

Enhancing mung bean hydration using the ultrasound technology: description of mechanisms and impact on its germination and main components

“…Therefore, ultrasound could have improved those processes for mung bean, helping the reserve molecules catabolism and the transport of molecules to the radicle (mass transfer improvement), reducing the stage II duration. In fact, Liu et al 43,. demonstrated that the ultrasound technology increased the metabolic activity of aged grass seed, enhancing the germination percentage, attributing this improvement to the cited reasons and the increment of the porosity of the seed by the acoustic cavitation.…”

“…3a and b), causing the bean germination, leading to the stage III. In fact, the ultrasound technology has improved the germination process of other seeds, such as barley3940, switchgrass41, pea42 and grass seeds43. Most of those works gave as the possible effect of ultrasound on the germination process, the increasing in the nutrient mobility, the respiration rate and/or the water availability for metabolic reactions.…”

Combining Ionizing Irradiation and Ultrasound Technologies: Effect on Beans Hydration and Germination

“…Regarding the effect of ultrasound, this technology is well referenced due to its capacity to improve germination. In fact, many works have reported this improvement for different seeds and grains, such as chickpeas, wheat and pepper (Goussous, Samarah, Alqudah, & Othman, ), barley kernels (Miano et al., ), rice kernels (Ding et al., ), mung beans (Miano et al., ), grass seeds (Liu et al., ), and red rice (Ding et al., ). The main attributed mechanisms of this improvement reported in those published works are the acceleration of mass transfer (water, gases, and nutrients) and the acceleration of metabolism by the activation of enzymes, the acceleration of nutrients mobilization, or other physiological effect.…”

The effect of frequency-specific sound signals on the germination of maize seeds

“…Acoustic waves with higher frequencies are known as ultrasounds (>20 kHz). Ultrasounds have been successfully used as a priming technique in seeds of different species [7–11]. However, long ultrasound treatments may have negative effect in germination and induce mutagenesis [12] and the optimum ultrasound dosis may vary depending on the device used and seed type.…”