Lipid composition and content in the seeds of radish plants of different magnetic orientation grown in weak permanent magnetic field

The content and composition of lipids were studied in the seeds of radish plants (Raphanus sativus L. var. radicula D.C., cv. Rosovo-krashyi s belym konchikom) grown from “seed to seed” in 2008 and 2009 in the greenhouse of the Institute of Plant Physiology in a permanent horizontal magnetic field (PMF) of Helmholz coils with the strength of ～400 A/m, in soil culture, at natural day length, and a temperature changing during the day. PMF suppressed all stages of radish plant development, from the appearance of alternative leaves to the formation of pods and mature seeds. In plants of the North-South magnetically oriented type (NS MOT), PMF reduced the number and weight of seeds; in the West-East magnetically oriented type (WEMOT), the number of seeds was reduced but their weights increased. In the seeds of the first generation of NS MOT, the total lipid content was higher than in the seeds of WE MOT. The amount of polar lipids in the seeds of NS MOT increased, whereas in the seeds of WE MOT it decreased or remained unchanged as compared with control. The content of neutral lipids reduced in both plant types. The strongest changes in the fatty acid composition of lipids with the highest content of unsaturated fatty acids were observed in the seeds of WE MOT in 2008. The weak PMF-induced differences in the changes of lipid composition and content in the seeds of different MOTs were evidently determined by seed sensitivity to the direction of field action. It is suggested that the occurrence of different MOTs increases the tolerance of plant population to unfavorable environmental factors, thus affecting its survival.