The Optical Absorption Coefficient of Barley Seeds Investigated by Photoacoustic Spectroscopy and Their Effects by Laser Biostimulation

Laser light as a biostimulator has been applied in agriculture, and some scientific reports evidence its usefulness. A knowledge about seed optical parameters is of great relevance in the biostimulation process, because information can be provided about the light absorption of seeds. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine the optical absorption coefficient (β) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds by means of photoacoustic spectroscopy; these seeds were studied in two conditions: seeds in their natural color and seeds dyed with methylene blue. The seeds were biostimulated by a laser beam (650 nm wavelength) to evaluate the effects of pre-sowing biostimulation in natural mycobiota associated with different laser irradiation times (0 s, 60 s, 120 s, 240 s, and 480 s). The results of this research demonstrated changes in the optical parameters (absorption and penetration) that occur in the seeds by changing the natural condition to a dyed condition. The dyed seeds, by the methylene blue photosensitizer, become optically opaque, producing greater optical absorption at 650 nm which causes an increase in the effect of laser stimulation. The experimental results showed that the biggest mycobiota reduction (52 %) corresponded to dyed seeds irradiated with a laser for 120 s.