Condition of Young Japanese Knotweed (<i>Reynoutria japonica</i> Houtt.) Offshoots in Response to Microwave Radiation of Their Rhizomes
Beata Grygierzec,
Krzysztof Słowiński,
Stanisław Mazur,
Sylwester Tabor,
Angelika Kliszcz,
Agnieszka Synowiec,
Dariusz Roman Ropek,
Lidia Luty
Affiliations
Beata Grygierzec
Department of Agroecology and Plant Production, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Krzysztof Słowiński
Department of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Forest Technology, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
Stanisław Mazur
Department of Botany, Physiology and Plant Protection, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. 29 Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
Sylwester Tabor
Department of Production Engineering, Logistics and Applied Computer Science, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116 B, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Angelika Kliszcz
Department of Agroecology and Plant Production, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Agnieszka Synowiec
Department of Agroecology and Plant Production, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Dariusz Roman Ropek
Department of Microbiology and Biomonitoring, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Lidia Luty
Department of Statistics and Social Policy, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Invasive Japanese knotweed is one of Poland’s most aggressive and difficult-to-control species. New methods of control are of utmost importance. This study aimed to analyze young knotweed offshoots’ regeneration and physiological condition after treatment of their rhizomes with microwaves of high frequency. The fresh rhizomes were microwaved in the laboratory once for different times (from 5 to 60 s, interval 5 s). Next, in the greenhouse, the growth of offshoots and their biochemical state (spectrophotometry of leaves) were recorded in three measurement series. It was shown that the microwave treatment for 35 s directly destroys knotweed rhizomes of a diameter of 1–3 cm, so it does not produce new offsprings. The treatment times from 5–25 s delay offspring regeneration and growth and development of leaves. The leaves initiate the mechanisms of protection against microwave stress in offshoots grown from the rhizomes exposed to microwaves for 10 s (increase in the anthocyanin index) and the 5 or 20 s treatments (higher values of the photochemical reflectance index). Based on the effective dose (ED50) analysis, the threshold of harmful effects of microwaves on the growth and development of Reynoutria japonica rhizomes was assumed to be 17–19 s.
