Minka Koleva1 and Kiril Sirakov2
1 Agricultural Academy, Field Crops Institute, 6200 Chirpan, Bulgaria
2 Ruse University “Angel Kanchev”, 7017 Ruse, Bulgaria
Koleva, M. & Sirakov, K. (2023). Study of the effect of pre-sowing electromagnetic impact on the development of primary root system of cotton seeds after different duration of storage. I. Length of sprout and root. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 29 (1), 146–158
Seeds of five cotton varieties – Chirpan-539, Helius, Trakia, Natalia and IPK Nelina, stored for one and two years, were subjected to pre-sowing electromagnetic treatments. Stimulating effect of treatments on the length of sprout and root has been established. Sprout length increased by 10.1-15.3% compared to the untreated control. Options 1 [U = (8…5)kV and
τ = (15…35)s] and 4 [U = (6…3)kV and τ = (5…25)s] were the best ones. The length of root increased by 5.3-17.5% and the total length of sprout and root, as a generalized index, increased by 7.5-16.4%. Option 4 was the best one. Electromagnetic treatments had different impact on seeds under different storage durations due to their different physiological state. All options of electromagnetic treatment had a positive effect on the length of sprout and root, respectively on the total length of sprout and root, for the seeds stored for one year. During the two-year storage of seeds, all treatments showed significant and insignificant lower values than the control variant. Greater length of root and sprout than the control variant (Chirpan-539, one-year storage, untreated seeds) was found only in the one-year storage of seeds, for individual varieties. The total length of sprout and root during the one-year storage of seeds was greater for the varieties: Natalia – by 22.9-24.1% in options 1 and 4; Nelina – by 17.8-23.0% in options 2 [U = (6…3)kV and τ = (15…35)s], 4 and 5 [U = (4…2)kV and τ = (5…25)s]); Helius – by 16.5-19.5% in options 2 and 4; Chirpan-539 – 15.3% in option 4. Compared to the untreated controls corresponding to each variety and period of storage, a positive effect on the length of sprout and root was observed for all varieties in both storage periods. The strongest stimulating effect of pre-sowing electromagnetic treatments was found for the variety Helius, in the one-year storage of seeds, the total length of sprout and root increased by 36.5-43.9% in options 1, 2 and 4, compared to the respective control.