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February 5, 2026Crops0 citationsOpen Access

Synergistic Effects of Far-Infrared Radiation and Static Magnetic Fields as Physical Biostimulants on In Vitro Germination of Jalapeño Pepper

MVMercedes Estefany Velásquez-Peña AGAldo Gutiérrez-Chávez LRLoreto Robles-Hernández

Key Points

The aim is to determine the individual and combined effects of far-infrared radiation and static magnetic fields on jalapeño pepper seed germination and early seedling growth.
Conducted in vitro evaluations of far-infrared radiation and magnetic fields on jalapeño pepper seeds
Applied positive and negative magnetic fields for 24 hours
Measured germination metrics, morphological traits, water content, and photosynthetic pigments
Used ANOVA, PCA, and Spearman's correlations for statistical analysis
Germination percentage remained at 97.64%, while germination kinetics improved with treatments
FIR + MF−24 decreased mean germination time to 4.32 days
FIR increased mean germination rate by 11.69% to 5.83 seeds per day
FIR + MF+24 exhibited the highest germination index at 4.57
FIR treatments significantly enhanced chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoid levels

Abstract

Among the options to improve the establishment of jalapeno pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), physical biostimulants such as far-infrared bioceramics (FIR) and static magnetic fields (MF) have emerged as non-chemical alternatives. This study evaluated, under in vitro conditions, the individual and combined effects of FIR and positive or negative MF on seed germination dynamics, early seedling morphology, water status, and photosynthetic pigments. A completely randomized design with eight treatments was implemented, including FIR applied continuously throughout the entire experimental period, positive or negative MF applied for 24 h (MF+24, MF−24), and FIR + MF combinations under continuous or 24 h exposure regimes (n = 7). Germination percentage, mean germination time (MGT), mean germination rate (MGR), germination index (GI), morphological variables, water content (WC), and photosynthetic pigments were measured; ANOVA/alternative tests (a = 0.05), Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and exploratory Spearman’s correlations were used to assess relationships among the evaluated variables. Germination percentage did not change (97.64%), but kinetics did: FIR + MF−24 reduced MGT to 4.32 d, FIR increased MGR to 5.83 seeds day−1 (+11.69%), and FIR24 + MF+24 showed the highest GI (4.57). For morphological, MF+24 increased hypocotyl length (+16.29%), FIR increased collar diameter (+27.27%), and FIR + MF−24 increased cotyledon area (25%), and FIR increased chlorophyll a (+139%), chlorophyll b (+141%), and carotenoids (+114%). PCA explained 66.9% of the variance, grouping FIR with growth variables and FIR + MF combinations with WC and pigments. Inferences are limited to one cultivar and controlled in vitro conditions. This study provides novel quantitative evidence that continuous and short-term applications of FIR and MF modulate germination dynamics and early physiological traits without altering final germination, related to structure and pigments, without changing final germination percentage.

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Cite This Study

Velásquez-Peña et al. (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698434ebf1d9ada3c1fb3a5f https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/crops6010016

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