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Grapefruit Extracts and Black Chokeberry Juice as Potential Antioxidant and Antifungal Agents for Carrot Seed Treatment
Grapefruit extracts and black chokeberry juice have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of grapefruit-based preparations, Biosept Active and Citrogrep, and black chokeberry juice on the germination, vigor, and health of carrot seeds. The seeds of two cultivars were soaked for 30 min in 0.25% grapefruit-based preparations and in 5 and 25% chokeberry juice. Standard ISTA methods were used to evaluate seed germination and health. The chemical composition of the applied preparations and juice was analyzed with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The grapefruit-based preparations differed significantly in their chemical composition, qualitatively and quantitatively, but in both of them, flavanones and flavones prevailed. Biosept Active improved seed germination especially in the cultivar, which was characterized by a lower initial seed quality. The significant positive correlations between germination at the first and final counts, as well as the contents of flavanones and flavones, were identified in this cultivar. Moreover, the negative correlations between the percentages of diseased seedlings, dead seeds, the percentages of seed infested with Cladosporium spp., Epicoccum nigrum, Melanospora simplex, and Ulocladium spp., and the investigated compounds were found. Chokeberry juice, at the higher concentration, showed some antioxidant activity; however, it frequently stimulated the growth of the fungi.
Wpływ wybranych związków chemicznych i preparatu Biosept 33 SL na jakość nasion marchwi (Daucus carota L.)
The aim of the study was to determine the effect of selected chemical compounds and the preparation Biosept 33 SL (33% extract from grapefruit pulp and seeds) on the health and germination of carrot seeds of the Amsterdamska cultivar and the Berlikumer 2 cultivar. The seeds were soaked for 10, 20 and 30 minutes in a solution of hydrogen peroxide (3%), a solution of lactic acid (5%) and the preparation Biosept 33 SL (0.5%). The control consisted of seeds soaked in distilled water for 10, 20 and 30 minutes and untreated seeds. The seeds of both cultivars were colonized by fungi of the Alternaria genus to a varying extent. Treating the seeds of both cultivars with solutions of hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid and the preparation Biosept 33 SL, regardless of the duration of the treatment, reduced their degree of colonization by fungi of the Alternaria genus and increased the percentage of seeds free from fungi. Treatment of seeds of the Amsterdamska cultivar with H2O2 solutions for 20 minutes and lactic acid for 10 minutes increased their final count compared to untreated seeds and seeds soaked in distilled water. Regardless of the method and time of seed treatment, an improvement in germination was observed, as well as a reduction in the percentage of dead seeds in the Berlikumer 2 cultivar compared to untreated seeds.