Involvement of nitric oxide in enhanced germination and seedling growth of magnetoprimed maize seeds

Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive gaseous free radical, which in plants was found to stimulate seed germination and ending of dormancy. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of NO inhibitors sodium tungstate (ST) and Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME), NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) and NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on untreated and magnetoprimed maize (Zea mays var: GSF-2) seeds. Treatment of maize seeds with these inhibitors inhibited germination related parameters like seedling length, fresh weight, dry weight and vigour indices and α-amylase activity of maize seeds under laboratory conditions, whereas NO donor (SNP) promoted all these parameters. Among 3 different inhibitors used ST was most effective and showed an inhibition in seedling length of 67% and 71% at 1 mM concentration for untreated (UT) and magnetically treated (MT) seeds respectively. Data presented here indicate the involvement of nitric oxide in enhanced germination and seedling growth of magnetoprimed maize seeds. ROS are continuosly produced by the cells of germinating seeds and play a positive role in germination of magnetoprimed maize seeds. ROS inhibitor (DPI) inhibited seedling length by 34% and 40% for control and MT seeds respectively. α-amylase activity was also inhibited by all the 3 inhibitors used. It is concluded that NO inhibitors and ROS inhibitor inhibited magnetic field induced promotion of seedling parameters and α- amylase activity of maize seeds.