Effects of Plasma Focus on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of 14 Thai Rice Varieties

Abstract

Thailand Plasma Focus 2 (TPF-2) is operated at 2.16 kJ of storage energy with argon as a filled gas and can emit sharp x-ray pulses to plant cells in nanosecond (10-9 s) duration. The effects of plasma focus x-ray on seed germination and seedling growth of  14  Thai rice varieties treated under  10  conditions;  0  (control), 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 plasma focus shots, were investigated. The results show that the germination rates and growth reduction rates were significantly different among the rice varieties. The germination rate of  10  varieties  (Jek  Chuey,  KDML105,  LPT123,  PTT1,  RD41,  RD47,  RD49,  RD67,  RD79,  and  SPR2)  decreased when treated with a  high number of plasma focus shots.  LD50  and  GR50values  were  calculated,  except  for  KTH17,  RD1,  RD7,  and  RD31  whose  germination  only  slightly  decreased, or remained constant, even after they were treated by 18 plasma focus shots