EFFECT OF MICROWAVE TREATED WATER ON THE GROWTH OF CORN (ZEA MAYS) AND PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM) SEEDLINGS

This paper presents the investigation of the influence of microwave treated water on the growth of the plants. For this experiment, four groups of seedlings were used and subjected to the study. We took drinking water and divided it into four parts, each group was given only one part. The first group was given water that had been heated to boiling in a glass cup on a gas stove. The second and third group was given water that had been heated in a microwave to boiling (100 C) and 60 C respectively. The fourth group of seedlings was given water that had not been heated at all and used as control. The growth of seedlings was studied for 30 days. The analysis of the results shows that corn seedlings that exposed to microwaved water show lower growth rate in comparison to the control ones. Corn seedlings when watered with normal water or with water heated on the stove grew faster and have shoot length significantly bigger than the corns which were watered with water heated in a microwave at 60 C/100 C. On the other hand, pepper seedlings watered with either microwaved water or not microwaved water were found with no significant effects on their growth characteristics

Pulsed electromagnetic field - a cultivation practice used to increase soybean seed germination and yield

The aim of the research was to test the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on soybean seed germination and yield depending on specific field conditions, years of study, exposure duration and frequency. Field trial was conducted on an experimental field of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia in 2010-2013. Seeds of the soybean (Glycine hispida (Moench)) medium-early cultivar. Valjevka 'were exposed to the PEMF therapy using the impulse generator and strip. Low-frequency (16, 24, 30 and 72 Hz) PEMF was used in the duration of 0, 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Research results indicate that this method can increase seed germination up to 8.00% and yield by 960.5 kg, or 21% in field conditions, which is a significant increase and a solid basis to introduce this practice, primarily in organic production with a very limited use of seed treatment preparations. However, the practice can have an inhibitory effect under an unfavourable combination of exposure duration and frequency. The obtained data were processed using the analysis of variance of three-factorial trials considering all years of study. Due to different meteorological conditions in the study years, analysis of variance was conducted for each year of study and correlations between the tested traits were examined

Comparison effect of pulse-power generated electromagnetic field on the growth rate of green soybean

This research is to investigate and make preliminary comparison on the effect 50 Hz sine waveform of pulsed magnetic field on the growth rate of green soybean with a variety of magnetic field values (600 mG, 100 mG, 70 mG, 20 mG, 8 mG and 3 mG). A circuit consisting of excitation ferrite-core coil, diode, power MOSFET, resistor, function generator and power supply has been designed and developed to generate pulse magnetic field. It has the ability to produce a stable value of magnetic field operating at a frequency of 50 Hz. Selected green soybean seeds were exposed to three types of waveforms, namely sine wave, square wave and sawtooth wave at 50 Hz. In the experiment, 400 seeds of green soybean arranged in a straight line were exposed to magnetic field in the range of 3 to 600 mG. Values of the magnetic field have been determined by the distance between source (excitation ferrite-core coil) and subject (green soybean). The experiment was conducted for a duration of seven days and samples were taken randomly. The experiment was conducted into two different parts: in the first three days the experiment was conducted in the dark and second four successive day of experiment was conducted under daylight. The results of sine wave show that six magnetic field values at root inhibit the germination rate while six magnetic field values at hypocotyls part has sped up growth rate. Moreover, growth rate at leaf part has been sped up but only for 70 mG magnetic field. In the sawtooth experiment, only three magnetic values (20 mG, 8 mG and 3 mG) show speed up progress on growth rate, while others show the sign of decreasing germination and growth rates for root and leaf part. Lastly, for the square wave, all the seeds were exposed to six different magnetic field values (600 mG, 100 mG, 70 mG, 20 mG, 8 mG and 3 mG) and the result show that the germination and growth rates for root, hypocotyls and leaf were inhibited. As a conclusion, the most pronounce effect of different waveform was sine waveform that affect to speed up the growth rate of hypocotyls and leaf

Magnetic field effects on plant growth, development and evolution

The geomagnetic field (GMF) is a natural component of our environment. Plants, which are known to sense different wavelengths of light, respond to gravity, react to touch and electrical signaling, cannot escape the effect of GMF. While phototropism, gravitropism, and tigmotropism have been thoroughly studied, the impact of GMF on plant growth and development is not well understood. This review describes the effects of altering MF conditions on plants by considering plant responses to MF values either lower or higher than those of the GMF. The possible role of GMF on plant evolution and the nature of the magnetoreceptor is also discussed

Improvement in growth of plants under the effect of magnetized water

The magnetic field can change the polarity characteristics and hydrogen-bond structure of water; therefore, magnetized water can affect plant growth and development. Magnetized water is hexagonal water created by passing water through a specific magnet that can activate and ionize water molecules to change its structure. This review highlights the use of magnetized water in the agricultural sector to enhance plant growth and food productivity. We discussed the impact of magnetized water on seed germination, vegetative growth, fruit production, soil and pigments of treated plants. Plant growth and development can be improved both qualitatively and quantitatively via irrigation with magnetized water. It can promote seed germination, seedling early vegetative development, improvement of the mineral content of fruits and seeds, the enzyme activity of the soil, improved water use efficiency, higher nutrient content, and better transformation and consumption efficiency of nutrients; it can also mitigate soil salinity. Furthermore, magnetized water had a substantial good influence on the mobility and uptake of micronutrient concentrations, as well as promoted better growth criteria, all of which increased biomass and total yield. Also, irrigating plants with magnetized water resulted in a considerable increase in chloroplast pigments (carotenoids, chlorophyll a, and b) and photosynthetic activity. Magnetizing low-quality water (brackish water, saline water or water contaminated with metals) can be considered as an alternative tool to overcome the problem of scarcity and shortage of water resources. As a result, magnetic treatment of irrigation water could be a promising technique to boost agricultural production while also being environmentally beneficial in the future. The major challenge in using magnetized water in agriculture is creating pumps that are compatible with the technical and practical needs of magnetic systems while also effectively integrating irrigation components

Mitigation of adverse effects of salt stress on germination, growth, photosynthetic efficiency and yield in maize (Zea mays L.) through magnetopriming

The efficiency of magnetopriming was evaluated for mitigation of the detrimental effects of salt stress on maize germination, growth, photosynthesis, and yield of maize plants. Maize seeds were pretreated with 200 mT of static magnetic field (SMF) for 1 h to assess the impact of SMF on the germination, seedling vigor, growth of plant, photosynthetic performance, ROS content, and yield under salt stress. The seedling characteristics of maize were negatively influenced by salt stress. However, SMF-pretreated maize seeds showed relatively higher germination percentage and germination stress tolerance index as compared to untreated seeds in saline and nonsaline conditions. The detrimental effect of NaCl induced salt stress was also observed on growth, yield, and different physiological characteristic of maize plants. The results showed that SMF-pretreated seeds enhanced seedling vigor, growth parameters such as plant height, leaf area, and biomass accumulation at different concentrations of NaCl (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM) as compared to untreated seeds. Photosynthetic pigments, quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), phenomenological fluxes such as electron transport per leaf CS (ETo/CSm) and density of reaction centers (RC/CSm), the performance index (PI) were high in the leaves of plants that emerged from SMF-pretreated seeds as compared to untreated seeds. This stimulatory effect of SMF treatment of seeds was also revealed in the rate of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, which results in improved yield of maize plants under saline conditions. The leaves from plants of SMF-treated seeds showed decreased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) when compared with untreated seeds in both conditions. SMF ameliorates the adverse effect of salt stress in maize plants, by reducing H2O2 and increasing growth, photosynthetic performance, and yield under salt stress. For improvement of salt tolerance, magnetopriming with SMF of 200 mT for 1 h to dry seeds of maize can be efficiently used as a presowing treatment

Yield and Nutrient Depletion of Tomatoes by Radio-Frequency Radiation Exposure from Base Transceiver Stations in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Major concerns are increasingly being raised about the effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) on different compartments of the biosphere. A major source of RFR currently being widespread is the base transmission station (BTS) of mobile telephone network, involving transceiver antenna. Soils inclusive of farmlands are likely being affected by the continuous exposure to RFR. The extent of soil depletion brought by RFR from BTS was assessed in this study. The effects of RFR were determined from evaluation of hybridized tomatoes planted on soil collected at different distances away from the BTS under the same agro-climatic conditions. The variation noticed in the tomato yield of the exposed group at the nearest distance and the contents of magnesium and potassium of the exposed groups at all the distances were significantly different when compared with the control group. It is imperative from this study to state that significant effect of RFR from BTS was noticed in plant, thus suggesting that regulations be put in place to check the proliferation of BTS close to residential buildings. Keywords: radiofrequency radiation, base transceiver stations, tomato, exposed group, control grou

Use Of Magnetic Field Nutrient Solution Amended With Mycorrhizal And Ratio Of Calcium To Magnesium On Yield And Oil Quality Of Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens L.)

Holistic improvements of oil yield and quality could be realised through integrating the knowledge of mycorrhizae and magnetic field stimulation. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of Ca:Mg ratios and the inclusion of mycorrhizal fungi in the root media on the yield and oil quality of rose geranium exposed to static magnetic field (facing south). The experiment was structured as a 3×2 factorial experimental design, with three levels of Ca:Mg ratios (2.40:6.78, 4.31:4.39, and 6.78:2.40 meq L-1), two levels of MF (zero MF, denoted by 0MF, and 110.1 mT, denoted by 1MF), and two levels of mycorrhizae amendment (none, denoted by 0Myco, and 20 ml of mycorrhizae amendment per plant, denoted by 1Myco) as a split-plot factor. The results showed that the application of Ca and Mg in approximately equal proportions of 4.31 and 4.39 meq L-1 had significant effects on leaf Zn and stem Mg content. The application of Ca and Mg in equal proportions and in combination with either an MF or mycorrhizae had significant effects on plant height, chlorophyll content, stem N, stem Cu, and stem Zn contents. Furthermore, high Ca and low Mg (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution significantly reduced the concentration of Mg in the leaves. On the other hand, a ratio of high Ca to low Mg (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution caused a small increase in the Zn concentration in comparison to that resulting from a ratio of high Mg to low Ca (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution. Although plant height and the number of leaves per plant were affected by equal proportions of Mg and Ca with 1MF and mycorrhizae use, this effect did not increase the oil yield and C:G ratio which favour essential oil of rose geranium, but the oil quality was within the acceptable international range for perfume industry. A multivariate analysis was further used to determine eigenvalue of the correlation matrix. Amongst the observed variables, only two principal components, PC1 (27.23%) and PC2 (23.78%) accounted for more than half of the total variance. Multivariate analysis revealed the antagonistic and synergetic effects between mineral elements subjected to Ca to Mg ratio, MF and mycorrhizal fungi