Enhanced Germination and Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana Using IrO_2-Ta_2O_5∣Ti as a Dimensional Stable Anode in the Electro-Culture Technique

摘要

Plants are sensitive to many different forms of stimuli, and they respond to many well-known environmental conditions such as temperature, light quality, moisture, and gravity, among others. Electro-culture or electro-farming consists of stimulation by electric fields applied in the soil in order to improve the germination rate, growth rate, yields and crop quality. It has been demonstrated that the treatment also protects plants from diseases; even so, this technology remains poorly studied. Here, we study the electro-culture process for Arabidopsis thaliana using IrO_2-Ta_2O_5∣Ti as a dimensional stable anode (DSA) with a titanium cathode. We expect to accelerate the germination and growth rate of this plant's cotyledons, leaves, and roots in the early stages of growth. This process is beneficial due to the fact that the ions undergo electro-migration and permeate the nutrients across the seeds. Furthermore, a decrease in pH occurs nearby the DSA via electrolysis of the water during the electro-culture process (pH = 1), and we observe the generation of OH radicals during this electrolysis when the seed is exposed to low electric fields in a short time with direct currents (less than 5V in 1 hour)..