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Open Access

ARTICLE

Electromagnetic-Field Priming of Broccoli Seeds under Water and Salt Stress: Effects of Exposure Regime and Duration

Julio Antonio Gutierrez-Dominguez1, Claudia Hernandez-Aguilar1, Alfredo Cruz-Orea2, Arturo Domínguez-Pacheco1, Raúl Romero-Galindo1, María Victoria Carbonell3, José Álvarez3,*
1 Instituto Politécnico Nacional, ESIME-Zacatenco, Postgraduate Program in Systems Engineering, Biophysical Systems, Adolfo López Mateos Professional Unit, Lindavista, Mexico City, 07738, Mexico
2 Department of Physics, Cinvestav-IPN, A.P. 14-740, Mexico City, Mexico
3 Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Puerta de Hierro, 2, Madrid, Spain
* Corresponding Author: José Álvarez. Email: email
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance in Crop)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.084457

Received 23 April 2026; Accepted 14 July 2026; Published online 06 August 2026

Abstract

Water deficit and soil salinity can severely impair seed germination and crop establishment, creating a need for sustainable, non-chemical approaches to improve seed performance under stress. Electromagnetic-field (EMF) priming is a promising physical treatment; however, its effectiveness may depend strongly on the exposure regime and duration. This study evaluated the effect of electromagnetic-field (EMF) priming on broccoli (Brassica oleracea) seed germination under water and salt stress. Seeds were exposed to one or two EMF exposure regimes for different durations and were assessed through germination tests, digital image analysis, photoacoustic spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. EMF priming produced treatment-dependent responses. A short exposure of 7.5 min under one exposure regime improved germination under water stress by 15% at 36 h compared with untreated control. Longer exposures increased the photoacoustic signal associated with carotenoid-related absorption bands, particularly after 120 min, whereas FTIR analysis showed reduced absorbance in O-H bands at 1600 and 3400 cm−1, indicating changes in seed moisture-related properties. However, not all EMF treatments improved germination, and longer or repeated exposures sometimes produced neutral or negative effects. These results suggest that EMF priming may enhance broccoli seed performance under stress only within specific exposure windows, highlighting the need to optimize treatment duration and exposure regime before practical application.

Keywords

Electromagnetic-field priming; broccoli seeds; water stress; salt stress; germination; FTIR spectroscopy; photoacoustic spectroscopy

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