The effect of pre-sowing radiation treatment of seeds on the productivity of Matricaria chamomilla L. plants

The study aimed to determine the effect of radiation exposure on the productivity of the above-ground mass of different cultivars of Matricaria сhamomilla L. under the conditions of using fertilizing biological preparations. The cultivars M. chamomilla ‘Perlyna Lisostepu’ (Ukraine) and ‘Goral’ (Slovenia) were used in the study. Pre-sowing X-ray irradiation of seeds was carried out at doses of 5, 10, 15, and 20 Gy with a power of 1.42 cGy/s. In the variants with fertilizing, biological preparations of BTU Biotech Company (Ukraine) were used, which contain a complex of nitrogen-fixing, phosphorus-potassium mobilizing, and fungicidal bacteria: “Groundfix”, “Gumifriend”, “Helprost”, “Organic-balance”, and “Liposam”. Pre-sowing irradiation of seeds in doses of 10 and 15 Gy stimulated an increase in inflorescence productivity. The collection of air-dry mass of inflorescences was the largest in the cultivar ‘Goral’ for irradiation in doses of 10 and 15 Gy and amounted to 153 and 152 g/m2. Under the conditions of plant feeding with organo-mineral preparations, dry inflorescences of 175 and 170 g/m2 were obtained in the variants of 10 and 15 Gy, respectively. Thus, after 10 Gy dose absorption, the yield of raw materials increased by 70 % compared to the reference sample. The introduction of a complex of biological preparations stimulated an increase in plant productivity: in the cultivar ‘Perlyna Lisostepu’, inflorescences of 82 g/m2 were collected for feeding, which is 82 % more than in the reference sample (45 g/m2); in the variety ‘Goral’ the yield of dry inflorescences increased by 8–20 %. In the budding phase, the largest above-ground mass was formed at doses of 10 Gy in the cultivars ‘Perlyna Lisostepu’ (26.22 g/plant) and ‘Goral’ (16.66 g/plant). Also, the largest underground mass and number of lateral shoots were formed under the influence of treatment at 10 Gy in the cultivars ‘Perlyna Lisostepu’ (1.82 g/plant and 6.4 pcs. respectively) and ‘Goral’ (1.04 g/plant and 4.0 pcs.). Irradiation of seeds and treatment with a complex of biological preparations stimulate a significant increase in the yield of chamomile inflorescences. The largest above-ground and underground mass, as well as lateral shoots of M. сhamomilla cultivars ‘Goral’, ‘Perlyna Lisostepu’ were formed under irradiation at doses of 10 and 15 Gy in the budding phase. Pre-sowing X-ray irradiation of seeds is an effective method of increasing the productivity of M. сhamomilla plants.