Regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana Physiological Responses Through Exogenous Electrical Field Exposures with Common Lab Equipment

Abstract

Plants have many of the same electrochemical regulatory components as animals, such as sensory receptors, neurotransmitters, and voltage regulated ion channels. Prior studies have established that exogenous electrical fields could improve plant growth, agricultural yields, germination, secondary metabolite production, and disease resistance. Unfortunately, the potential benefits and mechanism of whole plant electrophysiology studies are difficult to organize into a cohesive model as they vary across organism, treatment type and method, or require elaborate/costly equipment. In many of these studies it is often difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between electrical field-specific effects and the interference of unaddressed confounding variables such as changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and pH. Plant electrophysiology is just beginning to be understood, and standardization and consistency are crucial if the systemic effects of this intriguing interdisciplinary phenomenon are to be grasped. Here we have developed a simple low-cost system from common lab supplies (largely electrophoresis equipment) which maintains temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen at relatively constant levels throughout the treatment time. The model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, was evaluated in this system and the subsequent effects on germination, growth, photopigments, and protein content are presented here. Our findings support the model that plants possess a molecular/electrical memory/battery which integrates information to drive biological responses.