Mathematical modeling of an experiment for the growth of chia seeds sprouts (Salvia hispanica L.)

Abstract

World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that more than 80% of the population in developing countries uses herbal medicine. Modern technologies open up the possibility of controlling the cultivation of medicinal plants for commercial use. The combination of various methods of controlled cultivation is a high-tech and capital-intensive direction for the development of the agricultural industry in Russia. This article considers the selection of optimal conditions for growing of chia seeds sprouts as a multifactor experiment with three incoming factors at two levels. For this study 100 grains of dark varieties of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) purchased from Era Green were used. The 3 major incoming factors include moisture (3, 4 and 5 ml of added water), the temperature (20, 25 and 30 C), and the light (expose duration for 0, 12 and 24 h) under LED lamps with peaks at 440-450 nm (blue spectrum) and 660 nm (red spectrum). Using different factors, we found that the speed of germination and the seedling vigor were considerably improved. This multifactor model helps to establish more reliable information on the rational ways for obtaining chia seeds sprouts in the conditions of controlled cultivation with high yield.