X-ray irradiation pre-exposure of wheat seeds improves crop growth and physiological attributes

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a crucial cereal crop, faces challenges related to climate change due to its sensitivity to environmental fluctuations. Stress factors affect wheat growth and negatively impact yield. Priming with physical agents at lower dosages can improve the growth of crop plants. Limited research has been done on using X-ray radiation as a physical priming agent. The study aimed to investigate the impact of X-ray priming on the morpho-physiological characteristics of wheat crop performance. Seeds of the HD 2967 variety of wheat were exposed to the x-ray irradiation dosages for 2 s including 25 mA/45KV (T1), 25 mA/50KV (T2), 25 mA/75KV (T3), 50 mA/45KV (T4), 50 mA/50KV (T5), and 50 mA/75KV (T6), and control (T7). The effects of X-ray irradiation pre-exposure were significant for the parameters like tiller number, spikelet number, yield, CGR, and biochemical attributes such as antioxidant scavenging and lipid peroxidation, but the effects were varied depending upon the dosages of X-ray. X-ray treatment @25 mA/75KV (T3) resulted in higher grain yield (2.79 t ha− 1) and spikelets per ear (20.33), while X-ray @25 mA/45KV (T1) led to enhanced radical scavenging, POD activity and decreased lipid peroxidation. Whereas control (T7) plants showed lower grain yield (2.07 t ha− 1), increased lipid peroxidation, and higher H2O2 content. The study demonstrates that X-ray irradiation can enhance wheat crop performance by improving yield attributes by increasing spikelet count, test weight, and total yield under moderate doses and managing oxidative stress.