Stratospheric conditions on germination and seedlings of
Solanum
and
Beta
45
ISSN Versión impresa: 1992-2159; ISSN Versión electrónica: 2519-6412
Biotempo, 2024, 21(1), jan-jun.: 45-52.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE / ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL
EFFECT OF STRATOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ON GERMINATION
AND SEEDLINGS OF
SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM
“TOMATO PRINCE
BORGHESE” AND
BETA VULGARIS
“BEET”
EFECTO DE LAS CONDICIONES ESTRATOSFÉRICAS EN LA
GERMINACIÓN Y PLÁNTULAS DE
SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM
“TOMATE
PRINCIPE BORGHESE” Y
BETA VULGARIS
“BETARRAGA”
Diego Adolfo Dueñas-Parapar
1,5*
; Alvaro Ezequiel Ostolaza-Saz
3
; Maria Alejandra Garcia-Orosco
1
;
Octavio A. Chon-Torres
4
; Hugo Duglas Aquiles González-Figueroa
1,2
Biotempo (Lima)
doi:10.31381/biotempo.v21i1.6409
https://revistas.urp.edu.pe/index.php/Biotempo
Este artículo es publicado por la revista Biotempo de la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Perú. Este es un artículo de acceso
abierto, distribuido bajo los términos de la licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) [https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/4.0/deed.es] que permite el uso, distribución y reproducción en cualquier medio, siempre que la obra original sea debidamente citada de su fuente original.
RevistaBiotempo
Volumen 21 (1) Enero-Junio 2024
ISSN Versión Impresa: 1992-2159; ISSN Versión Electrónica: 2519-5697
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas de la
Universidad Ricardo Palma
(FCB-URP)
ABSTRACT
T e stratosphere is a layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, located above the anthroposphere and below the mesosphere. T e
stratosphere has particular meteorological conditions, such as high UV-A radiation, slow atmospheric pressure, and
temperature variations. Currently, several studies have shown that organisms such as plants can be positively af ected
by exposure to stratospheric conditions, especially UV-A radiation. However, studies on the viability of seeds have been
little developed. For this reason, this study aimed to evaluate the viability of
Solanum lycopersicum
Lam, 1794 “Tomato
Prince Borghese” and
Beta vulgaris
Linneo, 1753 “Beet” seeds under stratospheric conditions. T e seeds were taken to
the stratosphere by the stratospheric balloon of the “Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología”, which is also equipped with
meteorological instruments to measure the altitude, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and UV-A radiation present from
launch to the return of the sample. Seed viability has been determined based on a comparative analysis of germination
and early stem and root elongation of seeds exposed to stratospheric and unexposed conditions. T e main results show
that stratospheric conditions increase signif cantly stem elongation in
S. lycopersicum
and total weight in both species.
T is research presents interesting results for the study of techniques for the rapid germination and development of crops.
Keywords
:
Beta vulgaris –
germination – seedlings –
Solanum lycopersicum –
stratosphere – UV-A
1
Biological Sciences Faculty, Ricardo Palma University, Lima, Perú.
2
Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory, Biological Sciences Faculty, Ricardo Palma University, Lima, Perú.
3
Zoology Laboratory, Biological Sciences Faculty, Ricardo Palma University, Lima, Perú.
4
General Studies Program, University of Lima, Lima, Perú.
5
South America – SGAC, Space Generation Advisory Council, Vienna, Austria.
* Corresponding author: diego.duenas@spacegeneration.org
Diego Dueñas-Parapar:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1040-647X
Alvaro Ostolaza-Saz:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6965-231X
Maria Garcia-Orosco:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0625-5405
Octavio A. Chon-Torres:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3905-6784
Hugo Gonzales-Figueroa:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0760-8812
Revista Biotempo: ISSN Versión Impresa: 1992-2159; ISSN Versión electrónica: 2519-5697
Dueñas-Parapar
et al.
46
RESUMEN
La estratosfera es una capa de la atmósfera terrestre, situada por encima de la antroposfera y por debajo de la mesosfera.
La estratosfera presenta condiciones meteorológicas particulares, como una elevada radiación UV-A, y variaciones lentas
de la presión atmosférica y la temperatura. En la actualidad, varios estudios han demostrado que organismos como
las plantas pueden verse afectados positivamente por la exposición a las condiciones estratosféricas, especialmente a
la radiación UV-A. Sin embargo, los estudios sobre la viabilidad de las semillas han sido poco desarrollados. Por esta
razón, el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la viabilidad de las semillas de
Solanum lycopersicum
Lam, 1794 “Tomate
Príncipe Borghese” y
Beta vulgaris
Linneo, 1753 “Remolacha” en condiciones estratosféricas. Las semillas fueron llevadas
a la estratósfera por el globo estratosférico de la “Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología”, que además está equipado con
instrumentos meteorológicos para medir la altitud, temperatura, presión atmosférica y radiación UV-A presentes desde el
lanzamiento hasta el retorno de la muestra. La viabilidad de las semillas se ha determinado a partir del análisis comparativo
de la germinación y el alargamiento temprano de tallos y raíces de semillas expuestas a condiciones estratosféricas y no
expuestas. Los resultados principales de esta investigación demuestran que las condiciones estratosféricas aumentan
signifcativamente la elongación del tallo en
S. lycopersicum
y el peso en ambas especies. Esta investigación presenta
resultados interesantes para el estudio de técnicas de germinación rápida y desarrollo de cultivos.
Palabras clave
:
Beta vulgaris
– estratosfera – germinación – plántulas –
Solanum lycopersicum
– UV-A
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is one of the oldest and most necessary
human activities for civilization, since it provides fresh
food with high content of vitamins and minerals that are
useful for the organism (Flannery, 1973; Merrill, 1983).
Over time, cultivation techniques have been perfected
until the inclusion of new variables that can favor and
increase the production of plants and fruits (Tudi
et al
.,
2021; Liu
et al
., 2022).
Nowadays, seed germination is a biological process that has
been widely studied since it will determine the adaptation
of the species to environmental conditions (Klupczyńska
& Pawłowski, 2021). Several authors have studied the
diferent factors afecting germination and growth of
crop plants (Kim & Kim, 2019; Al-Quraan
et al
., 2020;
Altuner, 2020; He
et al
., 2020). Also, pretreatments using
UV-A radiation have been demonstrated to increase the
germination rate, foliar area, dry mass, root and stem
of plants (Hamid & Jawaid, 2011; Mariz-Ponte
et al.
,
2018).
Beet and tomato are food products that present a wide
range of vitamins and minerals that complement the
human diet (Ordóñez-Santos
et al.,
2011; Cliford
et
al
., 2015). In addition, they are vegetables that can be
cultivated worldwide, so studying techniques for the
increase and improvement of their production is very
important (Ceclu & Nistor, 2020; Collins
et al
., 2022).
In this study, we have sent two species of seeds,
Solanum
lycopersicum
Lam, 1794 “Tomato Prince Borghese’’ and
Beta vulgaris
Linneo, 1753 “Beet”, to the stratosphere,
exposing them to extreme environmental conditions such
as increased UV-A radiation, temperature and atmospheric
pressure variations; these variables are important for the
viability of the future plant. Te experiment was carried
out using a meteorological balloon and the viability
indicators to determine were germination success and
early growth of the stem and roots.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Seed obtaining
Te seeds were acquired from the company ANASAC,
which is a Chilean company dedicated to the agriculture
feld (Anasac, 2024). Seed packs indicate that they have a
purity of 99.90%.
Seed exposition to Stratosphere
Te exposition of seeds to stratospheric conditions was
carried out by the meteorological balloon launched by the
“Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología” on February 12, 2022
in Yauca, province of Ica, Peru. Te balloon reached about
an altitude of 30 000 km above sea level. Once reached that
altitude, the balloon exploded and dropped the seed sample
Stratospheric conditions on germination and seedlings of
Solanum
and
Beta
47
and the climatological measurement equipment with a
parachute to slow the speed of impact with the ground.
Te meteorological measurements were made using the
Strato4 instrument, which recorded temperature, altitude,
humidity and UV-A radiation throughout the fight.
Strato4 is a weather measurement system manufactured by
the Stratofights company in Germany (Stratofights, 2024).
Seed cultivation
Once the sample was returned, the tomato and beet seeds
were placed in a plastic multi-well seedbed at the same
time as the control seeds, totaling 72 seeds. Te sample
size per group was 18, which was close to reported by
Noble (2002).
Te seeds were grown using cotton as an absorbent
substrate. Te use of cotton is justifed in this experiment
due to its liquid retaining capacity and also to its moldable
structure that allows us to monitor the development of the
seeds. Irrigation per sample was 5 mL of water per 24 hours.
Tis quantity of water was chosen because it maintained a
humid environment for the samples, which is favorable for
seed germination (Kauth & Biber, 2015, Jung
et al
., 2020).
Germination and stem and root development
Te germination time of each seed was recorded using days
as the unit of measurement. Once the post-germination
cycle started, the stems and roots were recorded every 3
days using centimeters as the unit of measurement.
On day 20, all evaluated individuals were transported
to the Botany Laboratory of the Biological Sciences
Faculty – Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Perú for
transplanting to a sandy substrate. Before transplanting,
the weight, stem length and main root length of each
individual were recorded.
Statistics and generation of graphs
Boxplots and confdence intervals were determined using
R Studio software. Statistical analysis was performed
by using unpaired t-tests to determine similarities or
diferences in the radiation-exposed and control groups.
T tests were calculated by species for each of the variables.
ETHIC ASPECTS
Tis study has been carried out with the strictest respect
for ethical principles, with the aim of making a responsible
contribution to scientifc knowledge and to the welfare of
society.
RESULTS
Meteorological conditions
Te StratoTrack4 weather measurement system shows that
the maximum altitude obtained in this experiment was 28
224.5 km above sea level. In addition, it indicates that during
the experiment there were temperature changes that ranged
from -66.00°C to 31.90°C, giving an average of -25.02°C.
Regarding humidity, extreme data of 0.10% and 99.26%
were obtained, with 39.68% as arithmetic mean. Te UV-A
radiation has presented abrupt changes throughout the
experiment, with an index between 0.32 (low) and 9.09 (very
high), being 3.39 (moderate) the mean (Figure 1).
Figure 1
. Meteorological conditions from the launch to the return of the sample.
Revista Biotempo: ISSN Versión Impresa: 1992-2159; ISSN Versión electrónica: 2519-5697
Dueñas-Parapar
et al.
48
Germination
For the
S. lycopersicum
group exposed to the stratosphere,
germination began on day 3, with 15 germinations
(83.33%) until day 5 and all of them on day 7. In the
control group, germination began on day 3, with 16
seeds germinating (88.89%) by day 5 and all on day 6.
T
student value was 0.6014 and the
p
-value was 0.5516,
therefore this result is not statistically signifcant.
For the group of
B. vulgaris
exposed to the stratosphere,
the germination of the group started on the second day,
having 15 germinations (83.33%) until day 5 and 17 seeds
germinated until day 8. In the control group, germination
started on the second day, having 15 (83.33%) germinations
up to day 5 and 17 germinations until day 11.
It is interesting to note that both groups did not show
germination in one of their individuals. (Figure 2). T
student value was 0.0 and the
p
-value was 1, therefore
this result is not statistically signifcant.
Figure 2
. Seed germination of tomato and beet samples.
Figure 3
. Total weight of tomato and beet samples.
Total weight
For the group of
S. lycopersicum
exposed to the stratosphere,
the total weight of the shoots ranges from 0.01 g to 0.15
g, obtaining a mean of 0.078. For the control group, the
total weight of the shoots ranges from 0.02 g to 0.2 g,
having a mean of 0.11 g (Figure 3). T
student value was
2.2081 and the
p
-value was 0.0341, therefore this result
is considered to be statistically signifcant.
Te group of
B. vulgaris
exposed to stratospheric
conditions presents a weight between 0.00 gr and 0.17
g, with a mean of 0.08 g. For the control group, the
minimum and maximum weights obtained were 0.02 g
and 0.25 g, with a mean of 0.13 g (Figure 3). T
student
value was 2.8018 and the
p
-value was 0.0086, therefore
this result is considered to be statistically signifcant.
Stratospheric conditions on germination and seedlings of
Solanum
and
Beta
49
Stem elongation
For the Tomato Prince Borghese seeds exposed to
stratospheric conditions, elongations between 2 cm and
4.2 cm were recorded, with 3.38 cm as the mean. For the
control group, elongations between 1.3 cm and 3.6 cm
were obtained, the mean being 2.67 cm. T
student value
was 3.4168 and the
p
-value was 0.0017, therefore this
result is statistically signifcant.
Te beets developed two stems for each seed, therefore
an average of stems was taken, obtaining an average
per individual. Te group that had been exposed to
stratospheric conditions obtained elongations ranging
from 0.7 cm to 4.4 cm, with 2.29 cm as the mean. Te
control group obtained elongations between 1.1 cm and
2.4 cm, being 1.875 cm the mean (Figure 4). T
student
value was 1.7746 and the
p
-value was 0.0855, therefore
this result is considered to be not quite statistically
signifcant.
Figure 4
: Stem elongation of tomato and beet samples.
Main root elongation
For
S. lycopersicum
, the group exposed to the stratosphere
obtained main root elongations between 0.6 cm and
12.5 cm, with 5.85 cm as the mean. Te control group
obtained results between 2.3 cm and 16.1 cm, with 7.37
cm as the mean. T
student value was 1.1309 and the
p
-value was 0.2660, so this result is considered to be not
statistically signifcant.
Beta vulgaris
generated two principal roots for each
seed, therefore, an average of the number of that was
recorded, obtaining only one data per individual. Beet
seeds exposed to stratospheric conditions showed an
elongation between 0.95 cm and 11.3 cm, being 3.39 the
mean. Te control seeds showed an elongation between
0.7 cm and 4.4 cm, being 1.99 cm the mean (Figure 5). T
student value was 0.5580 and the
p
-value was 0.5807, so
this result is considered to be not statistically signifcant.
Figure 5
. Principal root elongation of tomato and beet samples.
Revista Biotempo: ISSN Versión Impresa: 1992-2159; ISSN Versión electrónica: 2519-5697
Dueñas-Parapar
et al.
50
DISCUSSION
Tis study shows that the germination and elongation of
stem and main root of
S.
lycopersicum
and
B. vulgaris
didn’t
show signifcant changes when exposed to stratospheric
conditions during a meteorological balloon fight.
However, stem elongation in
S. lycopersicum
and total
weight in both species showed signifcant diferences. In
the study by
Fong
et al.
(2015), three types of seeds were
exposed to stratospheric radiation using a meteorological
balloon; demonstrating a negative efect on germination
success but slight improvement in seedling growth of
bean seeds and increased germination success as well as
varied responses in seedling development of radish and
maize seeds. Te diference in responses to stratospheric
conditions may be due to the facility of the species to
adapt to unusual environmental conditions.
Several studies show that plants modify their metabolism
in response to environmental conditions, optimizing
their vital performance depending on them, which could
accelerate or delay biomass production (Bernal
et al
.,
2015; Verdaguer
et al
., 2017). UV-A radiation is a factor
that favors plant development due to the high charge of its
photons, which facilitates accelerated photosynthesis and
greater energy production. However, prolonged exposure
to radiation negatively interferes with the development of
the other stages of the plant since it reduces root size and
the amount of biomass (Noble, 2002). Studies show that
treatments of 8 and 16 hours of UV-A exposure stimulate
29% and 33% plant biomass production, increasing
plant length and photosynthetic response (Kang
et al
.,
2018). Additionally, exposure to UV-A radiation for 1
hour per day in 30 days’ increases fruit production in
plants (Mariz-Ponte
et al
., 2019).
In this research, diferences in stem elongation show
that the Tomato Prince Borghese plants (stratosphere
group) had a larger size compared to those in the control
group. Tis may be due to the diference in the amount
of radiation absorbed by UV-A exposure. In addition,
this study shows that plants exposed to stratospheric
conditions have a lower total weight compared to those in
the control group. One of the responses to the diference
in shoot weight is the presence of necrosis and dehydration
in the roots, which avoids the accumulation of water in
the plant and its optimal development. Tis suggests that
exposure to stratospheric conditions generates visible
changes in plant morphology that are counterproductive
in the long term.
We concluded that there were no signifcant diferences
in the morphology of
S. lycopersicum
and
B. vulgaris
exposed to stratospheric conditions during the trajectory
of a weather balloon. However, slight diferences in total
weight and stem elongation could demonstrate the efect
of radiation on plant development. Further studies are
needed to determine anomalies in the developmental
stages of seeds exposed to stratospheric conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Te authors wish to thank Veronica Patricia Parapar Loayza
for her helpful support in the life of the corresponding
author. Do not let cancer win you, be strong.
Author contributions
:
CRediT (Contributor Roles
Taxonomy)
DDP
=
Diego Dueñas-Parapar
AOS
=
Alvaro Ostolaza-Saz
MGO
=
Maria Garcia-Orosco
OCT
=
Octavio Chon-Torres
HGF
=
Hugo Gonzales-Figueroa
Conceptualization
:
DDP
Data curation
:
DDP, AOS, MGO, OCT, HGF
Formal Analysis
: DDP
Funding acquisition
: OCT, HGF
Investigation
: DDP, AOS
Methodology
: DDP, AOS
Project administration
: DDP
Resources
: OCT, HGF
Software
: DDP
Supervision
: HGF
Validation
: OCT, HGF
Visualization
: DDP, OCT, HGF
Writing – original draft
: DDP, AOS, MGO
Writing – review & editing
: DDP, AOS, MGO
Stratospheric conditions on germination and seedlings of
Solanum
and
Beta
51
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