Effect of light pulse treatment of seeds of spring rapeseed on the germinating ability and seed infection

The article presents the results of research on determining the impact of light pulsed ultraviolet radiation of "Ecosvet-1" device with different intensities (4, 8, 16, and 32 kJ/m2) on laboratory germinating ability of spring rapeseed variety Tavrion and its infestation by pathogenic microorganisms. The experiment was conducted at V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops in 2022. We determined the laboratory germination of seeds of rapeseed according to State Standard 12038-84 in Petri dishes in a humidity chamber, and the infestation by the diseases – according to State Standard 12044-93. Laboratory germination of rapeseed seeds in the control was 63.0%. The cause of the germination decrease was affection by fungi of the genera Alternaria Nees and Fusarium sp. Link, as well as by bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas Migula and Xanthomonas Dowson. As a result of the treatment of rapeseed seeds with a noninvasive polychromatic light pulse, there was an increase in laboratory germination by 6-16 % compared to the control due to a decrease in seed infection. According to the obtained data, the best result in the experiment showed the variant with a specific dose of ultraviolet radiation (SD UV) of 8 kJ/m2. Laboratory germination of seeds in this variant was 79.0%. All seedlings from normally germinated seeds were healthy. The prevalence of Alternaria blight was 2 times lower on non-germinated seeds than on the control, Fusarium blight – 3 times lower, and bacterial blight – 1.5 times lower. The obtained data suggest that this method is promising for the presowing disinfection of rapeseed seeds from pathogenic microflora.