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Growth Patterns of Tomato Plants Subjected to Two Non-conventional Abiotic Stresses: UV-C Irradiations and Electric Fields

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Physiological Mechanisms and Adaptation Strategies in Plants Under Changing Environment

Abstract

Ultraviolet-C radiation (UV-C = 100–280 nm) is strongly affected by ozone levels, so that the amount of this radiation reaching the Earth’s surface is extremely low. In the future, UV-C radiation is expected to increase as the result of stratospheric ozone depletion due to atmospheric pollution, with strong negative effects on economically important crops. High UV-C doses determine irreversible damages both at plant physiological and morphological levels, leading plants to death. Also electric fields (EFs) can determine changes at morphological and physiological levels in plants. Electro-culture can accelerate growth rates, increase yields, improve crop quality and plant protection against diseases, insects and frost.

This chapter is focused on the effects of the exposition of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), one of the most economically important crop, to UV-C radiation and DC electric field, able to determine important and significant alterations in plant growth. The protection of tomato plants against UV-C, combined with the growth-promoting effects of electro-culture, could allow farmers to grow bigger and better crops in less time, with less effort, and at a lower cost.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, Potenza, 85100, Italy

    Adriano Sofo, Donato Castronuovo, Stella Lovelli, Giuseppe Tataranni & Antonio Scopa

Authors
  1. Adriano Sofo
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  2. Donato Castronuovo
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  3. Stella Lovelli
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  4. Giuseppe Tataranni
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  5. Antonio Scopa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adriano Sofo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, Jammu und Kashmir, India

    Parvaiz Ahmad

  2. Department of Botany, Anantnag College, Srinagar, Jammu und Kashmir, India

    Mohd Rafiq Wani

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Sofo, A., Castronuovo, D., Lovelli, S., Tataranni, G., Scopa, A. (2014). Growth Patterns of Tomato Plants Subjected to Two Non-conventional Abiotic Stresses: UV-C Irradiations and Electric Fields. In: Ahmad, P., Wani, M. (eds) Physiological Mechanisms and Adaptation Strategies in Plants Under Changing Environment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8600-8_10

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