The effect of Red Light Laser and water stress on the medicinal – ornamental plant (Verbascum Songaricum)

Recently, the pretreatment of seeds with helium-neon laser has attracted the interest of the scientific community as one of the safest ways to enhance seed germination, seed growth and increase the resistance of plants to stresses. Due to the sensitivity of phytochromes to red light, the activity of enzymes related to growth and flowering can be increased by irradiating plant seeds with He-Ne laser light at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. In this study, the effect of laser on the morphological and physiological characteristics of Verbascum songaricum under normal conditions and under water stress was investigated. First, the effect of helium-neon laser with durations (0 and 30 minutes) and water deficit stress at two normal irrigation levels and water deficit stress (irrigation at 50% soil capacity) on seed germination in an experiment in the form of chopped plots in the form of a block design Complete randomization was evaluated in four replicates in the conditions of the research field of Azad University, Isfahan branch, and it showed the best plant stem height, root length, number of main stem flowers in the interaction effect of laser and water deficit stress. Helium-neon laser improved seed germination, flowering and seed growth of safflower in a time-dependent pattern under all water stress conditions.