Lentil Seed Germination and Stress Tolerance with UV-C Radiation: Physiological and Morphological Impacts Under Saline and Non-Saline Conditions (#1143)

Authors

Méndez Garduño, Juana Isabel

Hernández Aguilar, Claudia

Domínguez Pacheco, Arturo

Balderas, David

Rojas, Mario

Ponce, Pedro

Franco Colin, Margarita

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of UV-C light on lentil (Lens culinaris) under two conditions: with and without salt stress. The main findings were: (i) Lentil showed significant changes (p < 0.05) in color dimension a*, which decreased with increasing UV-C irradiation time. (ii) There were structural changes in the seeds due to UV-C degradation. With increasing irradiation time, more damage was observed in the seed cell wall. (iii) UV-C radiation produced positive and negative stimulatory effects depending on seed condition and irradiation time. The most significant changes (p < 0.05) were observed at 12 and 24 hours after the germination test. From 36 hours onwards, the behavior of all UV-C treatments (0, 1.25, 2.5 and 5 minutes) and set conditions (saline and non-saline) and control samples started to show no variability. iv) Seedling weight increased by about 9% compared to control samples at 5 minutes irradiation time. V) The correlation between fresh weight and color component a* was inverse, i.e. the lower the value of a*, the higher the seedling weight. UV-C could be a sustainable method to produce sprouts and improve the physiological quality of seeds once optimal UV-C irradiation times in and without salt stress conditions are defined.