Effects of Ultrasonic Treatment on Germination of Synthetic Sunflower Seeds

Authors: Thitiporn Machikowa, Thanawit Kulrattanarak, Sodchol Wonprasaid

Abstract:

One problem of synthetic sunflower cultivation is an erratic germination of the seeds. To improve the germination, presowing seed treatment with an ultrasound was tested. All treatments were carried out at 40 kHz frequency with the intensities of 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the ultrasonic generator total power (250 W) for the durations of 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. Data on seed germination percentage, seed vigor index (SVI), root and shoot lengths of seedlings were collected. The results showed that germination, SVI, root and shoot lengths of ultrasonic treated seedlings were different from the control, depending on intensity of the ultrasound. The effects of ultrasonic treatment were significant on germination, resulting in a maximum increase of 43% at 40 and 60% intensities compared to that of the control seeds. In addition, seedlings of these 2 treatments had higher SVI and longer root and shoot lengths than that of the control seedlings. All treatment durations resulted in higher germination and SVI, longer root and higher shoot lenghts of seedlings than the control. Among the duration treatments, only SVI and seedling root length were significantly different.

Keywords: Ultrasonic, germination, root length, shoot length, Helianthus annuus L.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1328510

References:

[1] M. Kaneko, H. Itoh, M. Ueguchi-Tanaka, M. Ashikari, and M. Matsuoka, "The ╬▒-amylase induction in endosperm during rice seed germination is caused by gibberellins synthesized in Epithelium," Plant Physiol., vol. 128, pp. 1264-1270, 2002.
[2] Y. H. Diwir, M. E. El-Mahrouk, and Y. Noidoo, "Effects of some mechanical and chemical treatments on seed germination of Sabal palmetto and Thrinax morrisii palms," AJCS., vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 248-253, 2011.
[3] O. Karaguzel, S. Cakmakci, V. Ortacesme, and B. Aydinoglu, "Influence of seed coat treatments on germination and early seedling growth of Lupinus varius L.," Pak. J. Bot., vol. 36, pp. 65-74, 2004.
[4] B.L.K. Thokozani, D. Zulu, G.W. Sileshi, Z. Teklehaimanot, D.S.B. Gondwe, V. Surasan, and P. Stevenson, "Seed germination and in vitro regeneration of the African medicinal and pesticidal plant, Bobgunnia madagascariensi," Afr. J. Biotechnol., pp. 5959-5966, 2011.
[5] I.M. Risca, L. Fartais, and P. Stiuca, "Ultrasound effects contributions on the Norway spruce seeds germination (Picea abies (L.) Karsten)," Gen. Biol. Molec., Tom VIII, pp. 87-88, 2007.
[6] M. Yaldagard, S.A. Mortazavi, and F. Tabatabaie, "Influence of ultrasonic on the germination of barley seed and its alpha-amylase," Afr. J. Biotechnol., vol. 7, pp. 2456-2471, 2008.
[7] Y.K. Shin, M.A. Baque, S. Elghamedi, E.J. Lee, and K.Y. Paek, "Effects of activated charcoal, plant growth regulators and ultrasonic pretreatments on in vitro germination and protocorm formation of Calanthe hybrids," AJCS., vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 582-588, 2011.
[8] Goussous, S.J., Samarah, N.H., Alqudah, A.M. and Othman, M.O. 2010. Enhancing seed germination of four crops species using an ultrasonic technique. Experimental Agriculture 46: 231-242.
[9] S. Barton, C. Bullock, and D. Weir, "The effects of ultrasound on the activities of some glucosidase enzymes of industrial importance," Enzyme Microb. Technol., vol. 18, pp. 190-194, 1996.
[10] Y. Liu, H. Takatsuki, A. Yoshikoshi, B.C. Wang, and A. Sakanishi, "Effects of ultrasound on the growth and vacuolar H+-ATPase activity of aloe arborescens callus cells," Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, vol. 32, pp. 105-116, 2003.
[11] W.G. Pitt, and S.A. Ross, "Ultrasound increases the rate of bacterial cell growth," Biotechnol. Prog., vol. 13, pp. 232-237, 2003.
[12] M. Yaldagard, S.A. Mortazavi, and F. Tabatabaie, "The effect of ultrasound in combination with thermal treatment on the germinated barley-s alpha-amylase activity," Korean J. Chem. Eng., vol. 25, pp. 517-523, 2008.
[13] ISTA (International Seed Testing Association), "International rules for seed testing," Seed Sci. Technol., Vol. 24, pp. 155-202, 1996.
[14] SPSS Inc., SPSS Base 14.0 User-s Guide. SPSS Inc, USA, 2005.