Fig. 1
Effect of electric field (EF) on the lengths of maize (Zea mays L.) seedling organs (root, mesocotyl and coleoptile), shown as a percent of the control (seedlings arranged in an electric-application setup but not treated with voltage). Twenty three-day-old seedlings were transferred into an electric-application setup (see Methods, Fig. 5) in which an electric field was applied. After treatment with EF, the lengths of the seedling organs were measured (± 1 mm), and seedlings were transferred for 24 h into a hydroponic container containing a solution of the following composition (control medium): 1 mM KCl, 0.1 mM NaCl, 0.1 mM CaCl2; pH 5.8-6.0. The differences between the lengths of seedling organs 24 hours after treatment with the EF and the lengths of seedling organs measured immediately after treatment with the EF are expressed as a percent of the control (100%, an increase in length within 24 h of seedling organs untreated with EF). Mean length in the control: root, 11.2 mm; mesocotyl, 5.6 mm; coleoptyl, 8.0 mm. The experiments were repeated four times (80 seedlings). Values are means ± SE. Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other (LSD test P < 0.05)