Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality

Megathyrsus maximus (Gatton panic) is a tropical grass highly valued both for its use as forage and for its biofuel potential. A major constraint in establishing pastures of this cultivar is the low viability and germination of seeds and the poor initial seedling establishment. We used non-thermal p...

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Main Authors: Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia, Clausen, Liliana, Cejas, Ezequiel, Ferreyra, Matías Germán, Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo, Fina, Brenda Lorena, Zilli, Carla Giannina, Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel, Prevosto, Leandro, Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: CSIRO Publishing 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12538
https://www.publish.csiro.au/cp/CP21619
https://doi.org/10.1071/CP21619
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author Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia
Clausen, Liliana
Cejas, Ezequiel
Ferreyra, Matías Germán
Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo
Fina, Brenda Lorena
Zilli, Carla Giannina
Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel
Prevosto, Leandro
Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz
author_browse Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz
Cejas, Ezequiel
Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo
Clausen, Liliana
Ferreyra, Matías Germán
Fina, Brenda Lorena
Prevosto, Leandro
Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia
Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel
Zilli, Carla Giannina
author_facet Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia
Clausen, Liliana
Cejas, Ezequiel
Ferreyra, Matías Germán
Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo
Fina, Brenda Lorena
Zilli, Carla Giannina
Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel
Prevosto, Leandro
Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz
author_sort Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia
collection INTA Digital
description Megathyrsus maximus (Gatton panic) is a tropical grass highly valued both for its use as forage and for its biofuel potential. A major constraint in establishing pastures of this cultivar is the low viability and germination of seeds and the poor initial seedling establishment. We used non-thermal plasma (NTP, partially ionised gas) as a novel technology to treat seeds of this grass, aiming to improve their quality (i.e. germination traits). We also followed the performance of seedlings grown from NTP-treated seeds under field conditions by assessing seedling establishment, biomass production and forage quality during the first regrowth period, which is the critical period for pasture establishment. Two NTP treatments were performed through dielectric barrier discharges employing N2 as carrier gas. Non-treated seeds served as the control. Results showed that the viability of NTP-treated seeds was, on average, 1.5-fold higher than the control, and that germination energy and germination percentage of treated seeds was superior to the control by 2.1-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively. A field experiment showed that seedling establishment parameters (dynamics of cumulative emergence, emergence coefficient, and weighted average emergence rate) and pasture early productivity (represented by shoot dry matter) were enhanced by NTP treatment (phenolic sheet–polyester film barrier and 3 min exposure), showing 1.4–2.6-fold higher values than the control, confirming the results of the laboratory assays. Although NTP markedly increased the shoot dry matter production of the pasture, which was related to higher tiller population density and greater tiller weight, it did not affect the forage quality of the plants grown in the field. We conclude that NTP technology is suitable to improve seed germination of Gatton panic, in turn leading to improvements in seedling establishment and biomass production under field conditions without compromising forage quality.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
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spelling INTA125382022-08-10T20:15:24Z Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia Clausen, Liliana Cejas, Ezequiel Ferreyra, Matías Germán Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo Fina, Brenda Lorena Zilli, Carla Giannina Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel Prevosto, Leandro Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz Panicum Maximum Germinación de las Semillas Productividad Calidad de las Semillas Establecimiento de Plantas Rendimiento Pastizales Seed Germination Productivity Seed Quality Plant Establishment Yields Pastures Megathyrsus Maximus Plasmas No Térmicos Pasto Gatton Panic Non-Thermal Plasmas Megathyrsus maximus (Gatton panic) is a tropical grass highly valued both for its use as forage and for its biofuel potential. A major constraint in establishing pastures of this cultivar is the low viability and germination of seeds and the poor initial seedling establishment. We used non-thermal plasma (NTP, partially ionised gas) as a novel technology to treat seeds of this grass, aiming to improve their quality (i.e. germination traits). We also followed the performance of seedlings grown from NTP-treated seeds under field conditions by assessing seedling establishment, biomass production and forage quality during the first regrowth period, which is the critical period for pasture establishment. Two NTP treatments were performed through dielectric barrier discharges employing N2 as carrier gas. Non-treated seeds served as the control. Results showed that the viability of NTP-treated seeds was, on average, 1.5-fold higher than the control, and that germination energy and germination percentage of treated seeds was superior to the control by 2.1-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively. A field experiment showed that seedling establishment parameters (dynamics of cumulative emergence, emergence coefficient, and weighted average emergence rate) and pasture early productivity (represented by shoot dry matter) were enhanced by NTP treatment (phenolic sheet–polyester film barrier and 3 min exposure), showing 1.4–2.6-fold higher values than the control, confirming the results of the laboratory assays. Although NTP markedly increased the shoot dry matter production of the pasture, which was related to higher tiller population density and greater tiller weight, it did not affect the forage quality of the plants grown in the field. We conclude that NTP technology is suitable to improve seed germination of Gatton panic, in turn leading to improvements in seedling establishment and biomass production under field conditions without compromising forage quality. EEA Quimilí Fil: Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA); Argentina Fil: Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA); Argentina Fil: Clausen, Liliana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Quimilí; Argentina Fil: Cejas, Ezequiel. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional San Francisco. Departamento de Ingeniería Electromecánica. Grupo de Descargas Eléctricas; Argentina Fil: Cejas, Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina Fil: . Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional San Francisco. Departamento de Ingeniería Electromecánica. Grupo de Descargas Eléctricas; Argentina Fil: Ferreyra, Matías Germán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina Fil: Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional San Francisco. Departamento de Ingeniería Electromecánica. Grupo de Descargas Eléctricas; Argentina Fil: Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina Fil: Fina, Brenda Lorena. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional San Francisco. Departamento de Ingeniería Electromecánica. Grupo de Descargas Eléctricas; Argentina Fil: Fina, Brenda Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina Fil: Zilli, Carla Giannina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Zilli, Carla Giannina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Prevosto, Leandro. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional San Francisco. Departamento de Ingeniería Electromecánica. Grupo de Descargas Eléctricas; Argentina Fil: Prevosto, Leandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina Fil: Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina 2022-08-09T13:46:19Z 2022-08-09T13:46:19Z 2022-05-02 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12538 https://www.publish.csiro.au/cp/CP21619 1836-0947 1836-5795 (Online) https://doi.org/10.1071/CP21619 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf CSIRO Publishing Crop & Pasture Science (Published online: 2 May 2022)
spellingShingle Panicum Maximum
Germinación de las Semillas
Productividad
Calidad de las Semillas
Establecimiento de Plantas
Rendimiento
Pastizales
Seed Germination
Productivity
Seed Quality
Plant Establishment
Yields
Pastures
Megathyrsus Maximus
Plasmas No Térmicos
Pasto Gatton Panic
Non-Thermal Plasmas
Pérez Pizá, María Cecilia
Clausen, Liliana
Cejas, Ezequiel
Ferreyra, Matías Germán
Chamorro Garcés, Juan Camilo
Fina, Brenda Lorena
Zilli, Carla Giannina
Vallecorsa, Pablo Daniel
Prevosto, Leandro
Balestrasse, Karina Beatriz
Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title_full Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title_fullStr Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title_full_unstemmed Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title_short Non-thermal plasma application improves germination, establishment and productivity of Gatton panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) without compromising forage quality
title_sort non thermal plasma application improves germination establishment and productivity of gatton panic grass megathyrsus maximus without compromising forage quality
topic Panicum Maximum
Germinación de las Semillas
Productividad
Calidad de las Semillas
Establecimiento de Plantas
Rendimiento
Pastizales
Seed Germination
Productivity
Seed Quality
Plant Establishment
Yields
Pastures
Megathyrsus Maximus
Plasmas No Térmicos
Pasto Gatton Panic
Non-Thermal Plasmas
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12538
https://www.publish.csiro.au/cp/CP21619
https://doi.org/10.1071/CP21619
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