Effects of microwave irradiation on seed germination,pollen development and agronomic traits of Vicia faba

ObjectiveEffects of microwave irradiation on seed germination,pollen development and agronomic traits of Vicia faba were analyzed,and radiation effects of microwave irradiation on plants were studied,in order to pro-vide theoretical reference for the microwave assisted crop breeding.MethodDry seeds of V. faba were treated respective-ly by microwave irradiation for 0(control,CK),5,10,15,20,25 and 30 s,and the effects of microwave irradiation on seed germination,pollen development and agronomic traits were analyzed respectively.ResultThe germination poten-tial and germination rate of V. faba seeds treated by microwave irradiation increased first and then decreased with the ex-tension of irradiation time,indicating that proper microwave irradiation could promote seed germination. Six types of chromosome aberrations were observed in meiosis phase I and II on microwave irradiated pollen mother cells of V. faba, and with the extension of irradiation time,the type of chromosomal aberrations increased,total chromosome aberration rate rose,which showed that the irradiation time and chromosome aberration were positively correlated(r=0.8432)(P<0.05, the same below). The pollen fertility rate decreased as the irradiation time increased gradually,which showed that micro-wave irradiation hindered the normal development of pollen,and there was a significant negative correlation between microwave irradiation time and the pollen fertility rate(r=-0.9066). There was no significant difference in plant height, pitch number,leaf area and leaf number per plant between V. faba irradiated for 5,10 and 15 s and CK. The plant height and leaf number per plant of V. faba irradiated for 20 s were significantly higher than those of CK. Plant height of V. faba irradiated for 25 s was significantly higher than that of CK,but the leaf area was significantly lower than that of CK. Leaf area and the leaf number per plant of V. faba irradiated for 30 s were significantly lower than those of CK. All the above re-sults showed that microwave irradiation for 20 s could increase plant height,and leaf number per plant,but plant height, leaf area and leaf number per plant were gradually decreased as the irradiation time increased.ConclusionMicrowave ra-diation is an effective breeding method,and adequate doses of microwave irradiation can promote seed germination and improve agronomic traits of V. faba.