Mohammed Hasan 1 , Marlia M Hanafiah 1,2 , Intsar H H Alhilfy 3 , Ziad Aeyad Taha 4 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Laser applications in agriculture have recently gained much interest due to improved plant characteristics following laser treatment before the sowing of seeds. In this study, maize seeds were exposed to different levels of laser treatment prior to sowing to improve their field performance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of pre-sowing laser photobiomodulation on the field emergence and growth of treated maize seeds. METHODS: The maize seeds were first photobiomodulated with two lasers: 1) a helium-neon (He-Ne) red laser (632.8 nm), and 2) a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) green laser (532 nm). Following three replications of randomized complete block design (RCBD), four irradiation treatments were applied (45 s, 65 s, 85 s, and 105 s) at two power intensities (2 mW/cm2 and 4 mW/cm2). RESULTS: Based on the results, maize seeds pretreated with a green laser and 2 mW/cm2 power intensity for 105 s exhibited the highest rate of seed emergence (96%) compared to the untreated control seeds with a lower seed emergence rate (62.5%). Furthermore, maize seeds treated with a red laser for 45 s showed an increased vigor index compared to the other treatment options and the control (P < 0.01). The treatment groups also showed statistically significant differences in seedling growth characteristics compared to the control group p < 0.01. The green laser produced a significant enhancement of about 24.20 cm in seedling length, 8.2 leaves/plant, and 3.4 cm in stem diameter compared to the untreated seeds. Moreover, the green laser treatment showed 57.4 days to anthesis, which was earlier than the untreated seeds (61.4 days). The results showed that the protein, oil, and starch contents of the seeds irradiated with the green laser were 17.54%, 6.18%, and 73.32%, respectively, compared to the seeds irradiated by the red laser with 16.51%, 6.33%, and 71.05%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The photo biomodulation of maize seeds using a green laser light can improve the field emergence, seedling growth, and seed quality of the treated seed compared to the red laser treatment. ©2021 Hasan et al.
BACKGROUND: Laser applications in agriculture have recently gained much interest due to improved plant characteristics following laser treatment before the sowing of seeds. In this study, maize seeds were exposed to different levels of laser treatment prior to sowing to improve their field performance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of pre-sowing laser photobiomodulation on the field emergence and growth of treated maize seeds. METHODS: The maize seeds were first photobiomodulated with two lasers: 1) a helium-neon (He-Ne) red laser (632.8 nm), and 2) a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) green laser (532 nm). Following three replications of randomized complete block design (RCBD), four irradiation treatments were applied (45 s, 65 s, 85 s, and 105 s) at two power intensities (2 mW/cm2 and 4 mW/cm2). RESULTS: Based on the results, maize seeds pretreated with a green laser and 2 mW/cm2 power intensity for 105 s exhibited the highest rate of seed emergence (96%) compared to the untreated control seeds with a lower seed emergence rate (62.5%). Furthermore, maize seeds treated with a red laser for 45 s showed an increased vigor index compared to the other treatment options and the control (P < 0.01). The treatment groups also showed statistically significant differences in seedling growth characteristics compared to the control group p < 0.01. The green laser produced a significant enhancement of about 24.20 cm in seedling length, 8.2 leaves/plant, and 3.4 cm in stem diameter compared to the untreated seeds. Moreover, the green laser treatment showed 57.4 days to anthesis, which was earlier than the untreated seeds (61.4 days). The results showed that the protein, oil, and starch contents of the seeds irradiated with the green laser were 17.54%, 6.18%, and 73.32%, respectively, compared to the seeds irradiated by the red laser with 16.51%, 6.33%, and 71.05%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The photo biomodulation of maize seeds using a green laser light can improve the field emergence, seedling growth, and seed quality of the treated seed compared to the red laser treatment. ©2021 Hasan et al.
Entities: Chemical
Keywords:
Field performance; He–Ne laser; Maize; Nd:YAG laser; Seed quality
Year: 2021
PMID： 33520446 PMCID： PMC7812920 DOI： 10.7717/peerj.10614
Source DB: PubMed Journal: PeerJ ISSN： 2167-8359 Impact factor: 2.984