Responses of He-Ne laser irradiation on agronomical characters and chlorogenic acid content of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) var. Mattu Gulla.

Exposure to laser irradiation on seeds brings about the changes in agronomical characteristics of the plants. Solanum melongena L. var. Mattu Gulla, a variety of brinjal is of high economic value due to its unique colour and flavour. The aim of the study was to understand the influence of Helium-Neon (He-Ne) laser irradiation on agronomical characters of Solanum melongena L. var. Mattu Gulla in the field conditions. Various growth characteristics including seed germination percentage, survival rate, plant height, number of branches, and flowers and fruits were estimated during different developmental stages of the brinjal. In addition, the chlorogenic acid content of fruits obtained from the laser irradiated seeds were quantified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP- HPLC). The plants from the seeds irradiated with different doses (20, 25 and 30J/cm(2)) of He-Ne laser showed significant enhancement on the growth characteristics when compared to the non-irradiated control groups. He-Ne laser irradiation also improved the yield characteristics of the plants significantly in in vivo conditions in comparison with control group. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed using methanolic extract of matured fruit of Mattu Gulla on HepG2 and fibroblast cell lines. The IC50 values of fruit extract from laser irradiated groups were found to be similar to non-irradiated control groups. Chlorogenic acid content was found to be higher in 20J/cm(2) and lower in 30J/cm(2) treated fruit tissue. The current study thus elucidates the role of He-Ne laser as a biostimulator on brinjal var. Mattu Gulla not only in the in vitro conditions but also in the in vivo field conditions.