Germination of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Seeds after a Short Treatment with a Powerful RF Plasma.

Nina Recek,Miran Mozetič,Alenka Vesel,Matej Holc,Rok Zaplotnik,Peter Gselman,Gregor Primc

doi:10.3390/ijms22136672

Nina Recek, Miran Mozetič + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136672

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Abstract

Seeds of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), of the Etna variety, were treated with low-pressure oxygen plasma sustained by an inductively coupled radiofrequency discharge in the H-mode for a few seconds. The high-intensity treatment improved seed health in regard to fungal contamination. Additionally, it increased the wettability of the bean seeds by altering surface chemistry, as established by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and increasing surface roughness, as seen with a scanning electron microscope. The water contact angle at the seed surface dropped to immeasurably low values after a second of plasma treatment. Hydrophobic recovery within a month returned those values to no more than half of the original water contact angle, even for beans treated for the shortest time (0.5 s). Increased wettability resulted in accelerated water uptake. The treatment increased the bean radicle length, which is useful for seedling establishment in the field. These findings confirm that even a brief plasma treatment is a useful technique for the disinfection and stimulation of radicle growth. The technique is scalable to large systems due to the short treatment times.

Highlights

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important agricultural plant grown worldwide for its seeds, called beans
The scanning electron microscope images revealed rich morphology on the sub-micrometer scale, which was explained by laterally inhomogeneous etching of the seed coat
As typical for all known materials with a super-hydrophilic surface finish, hydrophobic recovery was observed upon storage of plasma-treated seeds at ambient conditions

Summary

Introduction

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important agricultural plant grown worldwide for its seeds, called beans. The common bean is severely affected by viruses and mold diseases, causing crop reduction as well as poor quality of the grains [3,4]. The mold diseases are caused by an array of fungal pathogens [5], which hinder its successful growth and reduce crop production. Dry bean seeds may be naturally contaminated by fungi. These are commonly combatted with plant cultural practices, breeding for resistance, and the use of chemical or biological agents to combat the blight [6]

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