Open Access

ARTICLE

Effects of Static Magnetic Field and Cold Stratification on Germination and Starch-Related Biochemical Traits in Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) Seeds

Antonio Santos-Rufo^1,*, Carlos Weiland-Ardáiz¹, Jose A. Dueñas²

1 Department of Agroforestry Sciences, ETSI, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain
2 Department of Electrical Engineering and Centre for Advanced Studies in Physics, Mathematics and Computing, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain

* Corresponding Author: Antonio Santos-Rufo. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(6), 15 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.082736

Received 21 March 2026; Accepted 09 May 2026; Issue published 29 June 2026

Abstract

Seed germination in blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) is frequently constrained by deep physiological dormancy, limiting its use in breeding and germplasm studies. This study evaluated the combined effects of cold stratification (CS) and static magnetic field (SMF; 80 mT) exposure on germination performance and associated biochemical changes related to starch metabolism. Seeds of the commercial cultivar ‘Loch Ness’ were subjected to different stratification periods and magnetic treatments prior to germination under laboratory conditions. Some SMF + CS combinations showed higher germination than the untreated control, although overall germination remained low. Higher germination values were associated with increased α- and β-amylase activities and reduced residual starch content, indicating enhanced reserve mobilization during early germination. Correlation and exploratory modelling analyses suggested that starch content was one of the biochemical variables most consistently associated with germination performance within the present dataset. These results suggest that SMF may contribute to germination-associated metabolic activation, particularly through changes related to starch mobilization, once dormancy has been partially alleviated by cold stratification. However, overall germination remained low under the tested conditions, and the study should be interpreted as an exploratory physiological evaluation rather than as an optimized germination protocol.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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