162
Subtle Agroecologies
abscisic acid (ABA) and an increase in the phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA; Azcón-Bieto and
Talon, 2008; Voesenek and Van Deer Veen, 1994).
It is important to look at other morphological adaptations. The C90-469 sugarcane variety
showed inverse correlations between stoma density and stoma length in the stimulated food conditions (Rodríguez et al., 2017). In the gas exchange between the plant and the environment, there is
a connection between stomata and aerenchyma tissue.
CONCLUSIONS
The growing world population is constantly putting pressure on the need to increase food production,
which in turn is affected by the edaphoclimatic phenomena (the infuence of soils on plants in relation
to climate), such as the frequent extreme events of high and low temperatures, droughts and foods
and hurricanes. Flooding is a natural disaster that affects both humans and plants, and man-made
driving factors of fooding include deforestation, and intensive agriculture characterised by extensive use of machinery and chemical products, which contaminate water sources, plants, animals
and humans as well as being one of the causes of the increase in greenhouse gases that exacerbates
climate change due to the increase in the annual average temperature. Agroecological production of
food offers a balanced and sustainable alternative, and one more sustainable tool is preconditioning
seeds and buds with physical methods. The use of lasers to precondition plant buds such as mulberry
and sugarcane in order to increase sprouting and initial growth seems to be a viable method. It has
the effect of activation of biochemical, physiological and morphological factors that can increase the
tolerance of plants to excess water in the soil, by increasing the aerenchymatic tissue at the root. This
apparently stimulates the synthesis of the ethylene hormone within the plant that, under this type of
stress, induces shoot growth. This research needs further development although we are confdent that
the use of low-power biotechnological laser may provide a useful technique for conditioning seeds
and vegetative parts in stressful environments at an industrial scale.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research is part of the project ‘In vitro plant biotechnology to increase food security in eastern
Cuba’, TEAM2017PR438-75644, funded by the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR),between
the Laboratory of Applied In-Vitro Plant Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biosciences
Engineering, University of Ghent, Belgium, and Plant Biotechnology Study Center, Faculty of
Agricultural Science, University of Granma, Cuba.
REFERENCES
Abu-Elsaoud, A. M. (2013) Double-pulse laser light treatment stimulate germination and changes the oxidative stress and antioxidant activities of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Journal of Ecology of Health and
Environment 1:1–11.
Abu-Elsaoud, A. and Shahda, R. (2017) Role of the He–Ne laser pretreatment in protecting Zea mays against
the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiations. Egyptian Journal of Experimental Biology (Botany)
13:403–422.
Abu-Elsaoud, A. M. and Tuleukhanov, S. T. (2013) Can He-Ne laser induce changes in oxidative stress and
antioxidant activities of wheat cultivars from Kazakhstan and Egypt? Science International 1:39–50.
Aladjadjiyan, A. (2007) The use of physical methods for plant growing stimulation in Bulgaria. Journal
Central European Agriculture 8:369–380.
Aladjadjiyan, A. and Kakanakova, A. (2008) Physical methods in agro-food chain. Journal Central European
Agriculture 9:789–794.
Álvarez, A., Ramírez, R., Chávez, L., Camejo, Y., Licea, L., Porras, E. and García, B. (2011) Efecto del tratamiento de semillas con láser de baja potencia, sobre el crecimiento y rendimiento en plantas de tomate
(Solanum lycopersicum L.). ITEA 4:290–299 [In Spanish].
Al-Zhen, M. A., Su-Hua, L. I., Xiao-Li, W. E. I. and Rong, H. A. N. (2012) Effects of He-Ne laser and
enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on MAP65s of wheat seedlings. Journal of Biology 4:015.
Subtle Agroecologies
abscisic acid (ABA) and an increase in the phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA; Azcón-Bieto and
Talon, 2008; Voesenek and Van Deer Veen, 1994).
It is important to look at other morphological adaptations. The C90-469 sugarcane variety
showed inverse correlations between stoma density and stoma length in the stimulated food conditions (Rodríguez et al., 2017). In the gas exchange between the plant and the environment, there is
a connection between stomata and aerenchyma tissue.
CONCLUSIONS
The growing world population is constantly putting pressure on the need to increase food production,
which in turn is affected by the edaphoclimatic phenomena (the infuence of soils on plants in relation
to climate), such as the frequent extreme events of high and low temperatures, droughts and foods
and hurricanes. Flooding is a natural disaster that affects both humans and plants, and man-made
driving factors of fooding include deforestation, and intensive agriculture characterised by extensive use of machinery and chemical products, which contaminate water sources, plants, animals
and humans as well as being one of the causes of the increase in greenhouse gases that exacerbates
climate change due to the increase in the annual average temperature. Agroecological production of
food offers a balanced and sustainable alternative, and one more sustainable tool is preconditioning
seeds and buds with physical methods. The use of lasers to precondition plant buds such as mulberry
and sugarcane in order to increase sprouting and initial growth seems to be a viable method. It has
the effect of activation of biochemical, physiological and morphological factors that can increase the
tolerance of plants to excess water in the soil, by increasing the aerenchymatic tissue at the root. This
apparently stimulates the synthesis of the ethylene hormone within the plant that, under this type of
stress, induces shoot growth. This research needs further development although we are confdent that
the use of low-power biotechnological laser may provide a useful technique for conditioning seeds
and vegetative parts in stressful environments at an industrial scale.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research is part of the project ‘In vitro plant biotechnology to increase food security in eastern
Cuba’, TEAM2017PR438-75644, funded by the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR),between
the Laboratory of Applied In-Vitro Plant Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biosciences
Engineering, University of Ghent, Belgium, and Plant Biotechnology Study Center, Faculty of
Agricultural Science, University of Granma, Cuba.
REFERENCES
Abu-Elsaoud, A. M. (2013) Double-pulse laser light treatment stimulate germination and changes the oxidative stress and antioxidant activities of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Journal of Ecology of Health and
Environment 1:1–11.
Abu-Elsaoud, A. and Shahda, R. (2017) Role of the He–Ne laser pretreatment in protecting Zea mays against
the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiations. Egyptian Journal of Experimental Biology (Botany)
13:403–422.
Abu-Elsaoud, A. M. and Tuleukhanov, S. T. (2013) Can He-Ne laser induce changes in oxidative stress and
antioxidant activities of wheat cultivars from Kazakhstan and Egypt? Science International 1:39–50.
Aladjadjiyan, A. (2007) The use of physical methods for plant growing stimulation in Bulgaria. Journal
Central European Agriculture 8:369–380.
Aladjadjiyan, A. and Kakanakova, A. (2008) Physical methods in agro-food chain. Journal Central European
Agriculture 9:789–794.
Álvarez, A., Ramírez, R., Chávez, L., Camejo, Y., Licea, L., Porras, E. and García, B. (2011) Efecto del tratamiento de semillas con láser de baja potencia, sobre el crecimiento y rendimiento en plantas de tomate
(Solanum lycopersicum L.). ITEA 4:290–299 [In Spanish].
Al-Zhen, M. A., Su-Hua, L. I., Xiao-Li, W. E. I. and Rong, H. A. N. (2012) Effects of He-Ne laser and
enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on MAP65s of wheat seedlings. Journal of Biology 4:015.