abstract
- The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of UV-C light on lentil (Lens culinaris) under two stress conditions: with and without salt(saline and non-saline). The main findings were: (i) Lentil showed significant changes (¿ < 0.05) in the color dimension a *, which decreased with increasing UV-C irradiation time. (ii) There were structural changes in the seeds due to UV-C degradation. With increasing irradiation time, more damage was observed in the seed cell wall. (iii) UV-C radiation produced positive and negative stimulatory effects depending on seed condition and irradiation time. The most significant changes (¿ < 0.05) were observed 12 and 24 hours after the germination test. From 36 hours onward, the behavior of all UV-C treatments (0.0, 1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 minutes) and set stress conditions (saline and non-saline) and control samples started to show no variability. iv) Seedling weight increased by about 9% compared to control samples at 5 minutes of irradiation time. V) The correlation between fresh weight and color component a* was inverse, i.e. the lower the value of a*, the higher the seedling weight. UV-C could be a sustainable method for producing sprouts and improving the physiological quality of seeds once optimal UV-C irradiation times in and without salt stress conditions are defined. © 2025 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.