Improving seed germination is essential for enhancing crop establishment under increasingly variable environmental conditions associated with climate change. Magnetic field (MF) treatment represents a clean, non-chemical, and sustainable seed-priming approach; however, frequency-dependent biological responses remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the responses of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.) to static (DC) and low-frequency alternating magnetic fields (5, 10, and 15 Hz) across different exposure durations. Germination parameters (percentage, speed, vigor index), physiological traits, and activities of key hydrolytic and antioxidant enzymes (α-amylase, protease, catalase) were assessed. Furthermore, the molecular expression of the stress-responsive superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the cytoskeletal actin genes was analysed. MF significantly enhanced germination percentage (up to a 25% increase), mean germination time, and vigor indices compared to the untreated controls. Physiologically, treated seedlings exhibited higher antioxidant defense levels. At moderate frequencies, catalase activity increased, while α-amylase and protease were markedly elevated at higher frequencies, enabling reserve mobilization and stress tolerance. At the molecular level, sod transcripts were down-regulated across all MF treatments compared to the control, indicating a functioning oxidative stress response. These findings demonstrate that MF frequency modulates the integration of physiological (enzyme-driven metabolism) and molecular (antioxidant gene regulation) pathways to optimize during aniseed germination. This research provides mechanistic insights and presents low-frequency MF as a viable seed priming for sustainable crop improvement under dynamic environments.
ElDoliefy et al. (Tue,) studied this question.