Influence of magnetic field on the in vitro establishment of zygotic embryos of Adenanthera pavinina L

The in vitro embryo culture for pre germinal treatment allows the application of low frequency electromagnetic and magnetic fields. The species Adenanthera pavonina L. has seeds with a waterproof integument, long latency period and scarce germination success. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of different electromagnetic fields in the disinfection and in vitro establishment of zygotic embryos of A. pavonina L. Disinfection and seed scarification were performed, with sulfuric acid (98%) and boric acid (5%). The seeds were subjected to three treatments: no magnetic field, static magnetic field of 95 mT and 2mT electromagnetic field at 60 Hz and exposure time of 72 hours. The sample size was 25 seeds for each treatment and experiments were conducted on triplicate. For the in vitro culture of embryos medium MS was used supplemented with coconut water as growth regulator. The evaluated variable was the germination percentage over a 30 days period. The results of the disinfection of the seeds in the establishing after the electromagnetic treatment showed no bacterial or fungal contamination. Scarification contributed to the hydrate and extraction of the embryos. A 87.3% germination was obtained in the treatment with electromagnetic field, 67.7% with the magnetic field and 28% germination on the control experiment. The work confirmed that the application of electromagnetic and magnetic fields can be used as pre-germination treatment in the forest species A. pavonina L. Key words: Electromagnetic field, embryos, forest species, pre germination, static magnetic field