Mitigating salt stress by conditioning seeds with ultraviolet light (UV-C) in white oats (Avena sativa L.)

ABSTRACT

Seed conditioning with ultraviolet light (UV-C) might (1) improve crop yield and quality, (2) reduce the use of agrochemicals during cultivation, and (3) increase plant survival in high salinity environments. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of UV-C conditioning of white oat seeds at two doses (0.85 and 3.42 kJ m⁻²) under salinity stress (100 mM NaCl). Seeds were sown on germination paper and kept in a germination chamber at 20°C. Germination and seedling growth parameters were evaluated after 5 and 10 days. Data demonstrated that excess salt reduced germination and initial growth of white oat seedlings. In all the variables analyzed, exposure of seeds to UV-C under salt stress exerted a positive effect compared to non-irradiated control. The attenuating influence of UV-C in germination was greater at 0.85 than at 3.42 kJ m⁻². Thus, data indicate that conditioning white oat seeds in UV-C light produced greater tolerance to salt stress. These findings suggest that UV-C conditioning of white oat seeds may be considered as a simple and economical strategy to alleviate salt-induced stress.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Germination
• radiation
• salinity
• Ultraviolet light(UV-C)

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Federal University of Santa Maria and L.S. Dorneles acknowledges support from CNPq grant 308277/2021-0.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.