The influence of low-intensity EMI treatment on seed germination and early growth of wheat Biology

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of pre-sowing seed treatment with low intensity EHF EMI (64 mWt/cm2 , 51.8 GHz) on seed germination and seedling performance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The effects of different time of EMI-exposure (3, 5 and 10 min) on germination of treated wheat seeds were studied. We found that 5 min EMI treatment could significantly improve germination potential (by 7.0%) and germination rate (by 8.0%) compared with control group. At the same time, shoot height (by 10%) and fresh weight (by 12%) were improved significantly at seedling stage. However, the decrease in germination rate of longer (10 min) treatment groups was observed.