Effect of Electromagnetic Stimulation of Amaranth Seeds of Different Initial Moisture on the Germination Parameters and Photosynthetic Pigments Content

Abstract

The influence of stimulation with He-Ne laser light, alternating magnetic field and the combination of these factors on germination parameters of amaranth seeds and on the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in seedlings was investigated. During the stimulation the amaranth seeds had a different initial moisture content. From the germination characteristics of the seeds as the function of humidity, three maxima and one minimum value of the germination parameters (the relative germination capacity N_{K REL}, the relative maximum germination rate S_{K MAX REL} and the maximum germination index W_{K MAX}) were obtained. In the majority of cases, the extremities coincided with the changes in the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in the seedlings. The presented research is innovative in the field of seed biology since no similar studies have been conducted before. It is difficult to interpret the results referring to the literature on this subject. The results can be explained as follows: the observed effect must be related to the stages of the water uptake by the seeds. The three stages of the water uptake associated with the seed germination process coincide with the maximum values in the germination parameters and with the change in the photosynthetic pigment content in seedlings.