Features of the development of the primary roots of wheat seedlings after the removal of abiotic electromagnetic stress

Abstract

The study considers the features of the development of the primary roots of spring wheat seedlings after pre-sowing exposure to a UHF EMF under conditions of pre-moistening of seeds. The object of the experiment was the seeds of soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties Novosibirskaya 31, Alyoshina, Trizo, Iren, Pamyati Aphrodite, and Altayskaya 70. In the experimental variants, the duration of the microwave EMF (0, 5, 10, 15 s) and the seed moisture (15, 20, 25, 30%) were combined. The influence of the UHF EMF on the intensity of the development of the primary roots of spring wheat seedlings was significant. For example, one of the varieties (Triso) shows a slight decrease in the intensity of growth processes during a fifteen-second treatment. The decrease in root mass was 18.18% (moisture content 15%) and 2.20 times (moisture content 20%) compared to the control. Wheat variety Iren had a decrease in root weight relative to the untreated variant by 2.59 times (at a moisture content of 15%) and 7.33 times (at a moisture content of 20%). The features of root growth at the initial stages of plant development were variety-specific and also depended on the modes of microwave processing. An unfavorable variant of microwave irradiation was a combination of the duration of exposure of 15 s and the preliminary humidity of the processed grain of 30%. The variant of EMF exposure for 5 s stimulated growth processes in germinating grains expressed in a relative increase in the number of roots and their wet weight compared to the control. The variant of exposure to an EMF for 5 s stimulates growth processes in germinating grains, which is expressed in a relative increase in the number of roots compared to the control. This difference is 13.47% for the Novosibirskaya 31 variety, for the Trizo variety – 14.99%, Iren – 12.44%, Pamyati Aphrodite – 8.97%, and Alyoshina – 13.93% on average. According to the totality of the studied indicators, two varieties of spring wheat were distinguished: the variety of Pamyati Aphrodite as the most stable and the variety Alyoshina as the most plastic. The results obtained can be used in practical plant growing to increase the adaptive capacity of plants and, consequently, increase productivity. A well-developed root system will allow wheat to withstand adverse weather conditions and form a higher grain productivity.