Survival rates and pro-oxidant-antioxidant systems of germinated Yakutian plant seeds pretreated with super-weak constant magnetic fields of different flux densities

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify physiological and biochemical changes in seedlings of wild plants of Yakutia, grown from seeds, which have received a pre-sowing, super-weak constant magnetic field treatment of different magnetic flux densities. Review of literature sources allows us to conclude that the weak effects of low-intensity fields (nonthermal character) have not been studied sufficiently so far. The study was conducted on seeds from 14 different species of wild plants native to Yakutia. The seeds were subjected to different magnetic flux strengths of 0.2–4.0 mT for 24 hours and then were germinated on filter paper. The criterion for evaluating the effect of the super-weak constant magnetic field was the formation of a true leaf in seedlings (survival rate). The intensity of lipid peroxidation processes was recorded as a pro-oxidant reaction. The total content of low molecular weight antioxidants was determined as an example of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system. The activity of an antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase, was determined. The effects of the super-weak constant magnetic fields were evaluated using regression and statistical methods. Based on the working hypothesis is that the formation of the present leaf is dependent on changes in the pro-oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium in the cells of the seedlings as a result of the action on them by the super-weak constant magnetic field as a function of the magnetic flux density. We showed that the survival rate of seedlings grown from the seeds pre-treated by super-weak constant magnetic fields of different magnetic flux density for 24 hours leads to the activation of lipid peroxidation and depends on the adaptation processes of antioxidant systems (the sum of low-molecular antioxidants and superoxide dismutase activity): simple compensation or hypercompensation. In the second case, the action of super-weak constant magnetic fields leads to an increase in the survival rate of seedlings by the criterion of the formation of the true leaf. The study is of significance for specialists in magneto-biology and researchers of plant antioxidant systems.