Fatima Alzhraa Enjrini*¹,  Imad Aldeen Alkhalaf¹ and Njwa Moslmani¹

¹ Dept. of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Fatima Alzhraa Enjrini, Email: fatimaenj92@gmail.com)

Received:24 / 12/ 2025                Accepted: 4/03 /2026

Abstract: 

This study was conducted at the Plant Environmental and Pollution Research Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Aleppo/Syria, to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet (UV-C, 254 nm) and microwave radiation (2450 MHz) on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seed germination. Seeds were treated by direct radiation exposure, irrigation with irradiated water, or soaking in treated water. Germination percentage, germination speed, mean germination time, and seedling growth parameters were assessed after seven days. UV-C treatments significantly enhanced germination performance, with germination percentage reaching 98.8% under irrigation with UV-treated water (120 min) compared to 93.4% in the control. Germination speed increased to 11.9 seeds/day, while mean germination time decreased to 1.5 days, accompanied by increased root (10.1 cm) and shoot length (6.5 cm). Microwave radiation showed a dual response: short exposure times (5–10 s) slightly improved germination, whereas prolonged exposure caused a sharp decline, with germination percentage dropping to 1.2% at 60 s due to thermal stress. The results showed that soaking the seeds in microwave treated water for 30 seconds or in ultraviolet treated water for 120 minutes produced the best outcomes across all studied parameters.

Keywords: UVC, Microwave radiation, Germination percentage, Germination rate, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF