Project Example
Caution!!!
Remember that this project idea and outline is meant to help you complete your own science fair project. But it is DISHONEST and UNETHICAL to copy someone else's project work samples and submit them as if they were your own. That's called plagiarism and it's a fast way to get a failing grade. It's okay to do the same project as someone else, or review what others have done so you can make your project better, but DO NOT COPY and pretend it's your project. Someone is sure to spot the plagiarism!!
The project shown below in detail can be viewed at the following web site.
The Effect of Magnets on the Growth of Radish Seedlings
Created by Laura L.
Sixth Grade SOAR 1998
PURPOSE
The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether magnets have an effect on the growth of radish seedlings.
I became interested in the study of the effect magnets, when I discovered that magnets could make you heal faster. Later I decided that it would be a better idea to study the effect of magnets on plants to keep it a safe experiment.
The information gained from this experiment may be used to help gardeners growing radishes or other plants.
HYPOTHESIS
My hypothesis is that the stem of each plant will be attracted to the magnet. I think that the magnet will pull the plant's root causing it to grow away from the magnet.
I base my hypothesis on my research that states that plants have different kinds of tropisms that attract to different things and cause the plant’s roots to grow downward. I also based it on the fact that magnets attract to some things and repel to other things.
EXPERIMENT DESIGN
The constants in this study are:
How much water the plant receives
How much soil is in the pot
How much light the plant receives
What the growing temperature is
When the seed is planted
How many seeds are planted in each pot
Where each seed is planted
How deep each seed is planted
How big the pot is
How far from the light the pot is
The temperature of the water
What time the light is turned off and on
The manipulated variable is whether a magnet is being used and where the magnet is placed.
The responding variable is whether the plant’s stem and root grow toward the magnet, or away from the magnet.
To measure the responding variable I measure how far the plant grows away from vertical.
MATERIALS
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
3 clay pots
1 light reflector
2 permanent magnets
1 bag of potting soil
18 radish seeds
1 grow light
1 carpenters level
1 measuring cup
PROCEDURES
1. Gather three of the same size clay pots and label them A, B, and C.
2. In pot A place a permanent magnet in the center of the bottom of the pot.
3. In all three of the pots, pour one liter of potting soil.
4. In all three of the pots poke six, three-centimeter holes in a circular shape around the middle of
the pot spaced four centimeters apart.
5. Place one radish seed in each hole.
6. Cover the holes with soil.
7. In pot B place a permanent magnet on top of the potting soil in the middle of the pot.
8. Place no magnets in pot C.
9. Place the three pots in a triangular shape.
10. Place a light reflector 0.7 meters over the plants with a grow lamp in it.
11. Water the plants 100-ml each day.
12. Turn the light off at 8 p.m. on at 7 a.m. each day.
13. Wait until the plant sprouts reach the height of 8 cm.
14. Carefully using a carpenter’s level measure how far from vertical the plant stem has grown.
15. Gently remove the plants from the soil.
16. Determine whether or not the magnet has any effect on the plant's roots by measuring how far
they are curved away from the stem.
RESEARCH REPORT
INTRODUCTION
My project examines the effect of magnets have on radish seedlings. In this experiment I hope to find out how a plant reacts to a magnet. I’m going to determine this by measuring the distance the plant grows away from vertical.
I’m going to plant the seeds and wait for them to sprout radishes. When they have, I am going to gently remove the plants from the soil and measure how far away from vertical they have grown, using a carpenters level to detect vertical. I hope to find out if the magnet that I put in the pots affected the way the plants grew. I will determine this by comparing them with the plants in the pot with no magnet.
Plants
There are more than 285,000 different species of plants. Plants unlike other living things make their own food. All seed plants have roots, a stem, and leaves.
Roots
Roots anchor the plant into the ground. Without the root the plant would blow away. Roots help feed the plant by sucking up water and minerals from the soil.
Stems
Stems support the leaves and connect other parts of the plant to the root. Food, water and minerals move through the stem.
There are two types of plant stems, herbaceous and woody. Herbaceous stems are soft, green and flexible. Woody stems are usually not green; trees and shrubs have woody stems.
Most stems grow above the ground but some, called rhizomes, grow underground.
Leaves
Leaves produce food for the plant. In the leaves are tiny openings called stomata. There are about 9,000 to 72,000 stomata per square centimeter of surface area.
Photosynthesis happens when the sunlight hits the leaves. This makes the leaves a very important part of making food for the plant.
Food and energy
Plants make their own food because they have chlorophyll. Photosynthesis is the chemical change that produces food for the plant. In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, gas and water are mixed to make sugar and oxygen. Sunlight is the energy it needs for the chemical reaction.
Plant Behavior
Because of the earth’s gravity, the roots grow down and the stem grows up. The gravity is a stimulus. Geotropism is the plant’s way of responding. The roots going downward are positive because they are going toward the stimuli. The stem is negative because it is moving away from the stimulus. Plants grow at a slow rate toward their stimuli. When the plant grows toward the sun its called phototropism. The stem is what grows toward the sunlight. Chemical compounds called auxins control tropisms. One kind of auxins make growth cells. If one side of the plant is lighted then the auxins move away from that side. That makes the plant grow more on the shaded side and the unequal mass makes the plant bend toward the sun.
Soil
The first layer of soil is called topsoil. It contains tiny rocks and many kinds of microbes. There are millions of microbes in loam soil, a mixture of clay and sand. About 15 percent of loam is fertile. Fertile soils have a lot of humus and minerals that plants need. Fertilizers are substances added to enrich soil making it better for the plant. Organic fertilizers have plant and animal items, like decayed leaves and manure. Ingredients like these are put in to hold the minerals.
Magnets
A magnet is a metal that attracts metals such as iron and other materials. A magnet has a north pole and a south pole. A north side will attract to a south side but a north and north or south and south side will push away from each other.
A magnet creates a magnetic field: the area around a magnet where magnetic forces can be found. Some things become magnetized when they are in a magnetic field.
There are two different types of magnets, permanent magnets and electromagnets. Permanent magnets hold their magnetic force for a long time. Bar magnets and horseshoe magnets are an example of permanent magnets.
Electric currents flowing through wire can also cause magnetic fields.
This is called electromagnets. If the battery isn’t plugged in then the flow stops. Electromagnets also have north and south poles. The force of the electromagnet depends on the number of turns in the coil and force of current. When an iron rod is placed inside the coil of an electromagnet the force becomes more powerful.
SUMMARY OF PLANTS
There are more than 285,000 different kinds of plants. One part of the plant is the stem. Water and minerals travel through the stem to get to the leaves and other parts of the plant. The leaves produce food for the plant during photosynthesis.
Plants respond to the earth’s gravity by growing up or down. The plant’s way of responding is called geotropism. The stem growing up is a negative response because it’s growing against the earth’s gravity and the roots growing down are a positive response because they are going with the earth’s gravity which is the stimulus.
SUMMARY OF MAGNETS
A magnet is a piece of metal that attracts iron and certain other materials. It has a north and a south pole. A north pole attracts to a south pole but a north pole repels to a north pole and a south pole repels to a south pole.
A magnet creates a magnetic field around it. When some things are placed inside a magnetic field they become magnetized.
There are two kinds of magnets, permanent magnets and electromagnets.
RESULTS
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not magnets have an effect on the growth of radish seedlings.
The results of the experiment were: Magnets do have an effect on the growth of radish seedlings, but I can’t show this in my graphs because of the method I used to measure them. When I pulled the plants I could see that the magnet had affected the plants because they were all facing the middle where the magnet was placed. But since I measured how far away from vertical the plants had grown I couldn’t show the accurate results in my graph. All the plants grew away from vertical about the same amount. Even though the plants were facing the middle in the pot in which the magnet was placed at the top, my method of measuring the responding variable didn’t show this. Instead, it showed that the plants had moved away from vertical not that they were bent toward the magnet. So really, yes, the magnet did have an effect on the plants but I just couldn’t show this due to my measuring procedure.
The magnets did have an effect on the stems of the plants but not so much the roots. The roots didn’t change significantly from pot A and B to pot C.
Plant Deflection Measured in Millimeters
Magnet on Top
|
Stem
|
Roots
|
Magnet on Bottom
|
Stem
|
Roots
|
No Magnet
|
Stem
|
Roots
|
Plant 1
|
14
|
3
|
Plant 1
|
13
|
3
|
Plant 1
|
21
|
6
|
Plant 2
|
21
|
2
|
Plant 2
|
12
|
1
|
Plant 2
|
19
|
16
|
Plant 3
|
22
|
10
|
Plant 3
|
21
|
2
|
Plant 3
|
26
|
5
|
Plant 4
|
12
|
9
|
Plant 4
|
30
|
3
|
Plant 4
|
16
|
8
|
Plant 5
|
11
|
14
|
Plant 5
|
21
|
4
|
Plant 5
|
19
|
5
|
Plant 6
|
0
|
0
|
Plant 6
|
0
|
0
|
Plant 6
|
16
|
4
|
CONCLUSION
My hypothesis was that the plant would be attracted to the magnet. I thought that the magnet would pull the plant's root causing it to grow away from vertical. I thought that both the stem and the roots would show tropism toward the magnet.
The results of this experiment show that The plants did attract to the magnet but because of my method of measuring the responding variable it was difficult to show the effect on the plants. I know that the magnet had an effect on the plants because I could see that the plants were bending toward the middle of the pot.
I made a conclusion that the plants in pot C would grow straight up but instead they grew in all directions. So when I measured how far away from vertical I wasn’t determining whether or not it grew toward the magnet just away from vertical.
By looking at the results of my experiment I would have to say my hypothesis is rejected because I’m not sure if it was the tropisms that attracted to the magnet or something else. Although the stems did attract to the magnet in pot A, the roots did not as I stated in my hypothesis.
Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder why a radish plant attracts to a magnet and if it attracts to other kinds of plants.
If I were to conduct this project again I would probably choose to use larger pots, because I feel that the plants could have been stronger if they were in a bigger pot. I also would have used a method that involved measuring how far toward the middle they grew instead of away from vertical because they all were away from vertical in some direction or another. But in the pots in which there were magnets, the roots or stem tended to grow toward the magnet. But since my method did not involve a way of measuring in which direction the plant grew, I don’t have a way of determining that. I just feel that if I would have used different method of measuring the responding variable then maybe I would have more accurate results.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Heilmler, Charles and Price, Jack Physical Science Columbus, Ohio, Merrill, 198
Heilmler, Charles Focus on Life Science Columbus, Ohio, Merrill, 1984.
"Plants," World Book Encyclopedia, 1995.
"Magnets," World Book Encyclopedia, 1995.
Vacchone, Glen Magnet Science New York, New York, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., 1995.
Appendix
Photosynthesis - The process by which chlorophyll containing cells in green plants use the energy of light to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide.
Electromagnet - A device consisting essentially of a soft-iron core wound with a current-carrying coil of uninsulated wire.
Permanent magnet - A magnet that can hold its force for a long time.
Magnetized - To make magnetic.
Stimulus - Something that stimulates; incentive of spur.
Magnetic field - A region of space, as that around a magnet or an electric current, in which a detectable force is exerted on a magnetic body at any point.
Organic fertilizers - Using or grown with fertilizers consisting only of natural animal or vegetable matter.
Chlorophyll - A green plant pigment essential in photosynthesis essential in photosynthesis.
Auxins - A plant hormone that promotes growth.
The following are additional reference materials related to the above project topic.
Re: Would placing seeds in a magnetic field before planting affect their germination and growth?
Date: Tue Jan 11 16:09:58 2000
Posted By: Dennis Lukashin, , Biology, Rutgers University
Area of science: Botany
ID: 947533718.Bt
Message:
Hi Rick!
Your question is a very interesting and a controversial one. I will answer it, but let me first briefly remind you of the process of germination. Before germination takes place, the seed contains the embryo in a stage of arrested development. Germination is the resumption of this arrested growth and it is governed by many environmental factors and obviously the genes of the organism. Some environmental factors which are extremely important to a developing embryo are: the number of hours of daylight it receives, water supply, temperature of the soil and oxygen levels. Once the dry seed acquires enough water, the enzymes which are already present in the seed are activated (and new ones are synthesized) and the digestion and utilization of the stored foods accumulated in the cells of the seed during the period of embryo formation can now begin.
Now, when you conduct your experiment, do not forget the factors other than the magnetic field which could easily influence the growth of your plant. All of the environmental factors listed above have to be maintained equal (more or less) among all of your plants of the same species (obviously different plant species have different requirements and you should find out the specifics on your own).
Make sure that they all receive equal amounts of light (one of them is not partially in the shade...), water and oxygen. Oxygen levels have to do with how deep your seed is in the soil and there is an optimal depth for every species.
The temperature you probably need not worry about since I think that room temperature will work well for your seeds. Nonetheless, keep all of this in mind when planting and caring for your seeds.
Also, do not forget to set up a control for your experiment, which would be seeds not exposed to the magnetic field, but which should be cared for the exact same way.
Now let's answer your question. I have heard of many studies done on the magnetic fields and their effect on the living cells and until this day I have not heard of one which conclusively illustrates that magnetic fields affect plant growth. However, most of the studies which I am referring to have used magnetic fields which were of the similar magnitude to those found in the NATURAL environment. There are magnetic fields strong enough to do great damage not only to living cells, but to metal cars! There were also studies which argued that plant growth CAN be affected by the (larger than natural) magnetic fields and that certain magnitudes inhibit while others stimulate growth. There was one discovery which was made by David Reed (researcher at Michigan's Technological University) that uncovered that the trunks of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and red maple (Acer rubrum) trees grew wider and the trunk of red pine grew taller near a 55-mile long naval communications antenna. Ironically, the growth of other species was not affected. So is the effect of magnetic fields related to the genes of a certain species of plants or was this finding just a coincidence which made it seem so?? Reed's findings were interesting, but nevertheless not conclusive. There was also another study done (for which unfortunately I do not have a reference) on the seeds of Brassica rapa (mustard family) and it was reported that the seeds exposed to magnetic fields were all deformed, while the control was normal( EMF, in this case, being of great magnitude). It was also reported that there was no effect on the early development, while later the deformation of the plants became very obvious. It is possible that the magnetic fields affected the ions of such crucial organismal mechanisms as the hydrogen pump (which produces ATP) and possibly the conformation of some proteins (including very important enzymes). Remember that protein configuration is extremely important to their function and once changed, their role in the development of the plant is either altered or completely deleted. Considering all this it seems possible that continuous exposure to the magnetic field could also cause mutations (alterations in nucleotide sequence of DNA that codes for genes and proteins) and, in turn, evolution. But all of this is very ambiguous right now and needs much more research. To conclude, I will tell you that in my opinion, magnetic fields of "normal" (not exceedingly large) magnitudes, generally do no damage to the plants. It is very likely that high level of EMF's (electromagnetic fields) might bring harm or even death to some plants. But this is not any different from the general rule which we see in nature: extremes are very bad for most living organisms. Even too much water will inevitably cause the plant to die. However, many factors have to be considered. The species of the plant, the magnitude of EMF, the combination of environmental factors and how long you allow for your experiment to go on can all affect the outcome. Remember that when you do your experiment. I do not think that a common magnet (especially in only two weeks) will generate enough force to have any effect on your seeds or any biological system, but it is just a hypothesis...it is possible that I am wrong! Well, I hope this is of at least some help to you! Good luck with your project!
References:
Effects of 76Hz Electromagnetic Fields on Tree Growth (Meeting Abstract) Reed, David, et al; School of Forestry and Wood Products, Michigan Technological University Annual Review of Research on Biological Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields from the Generation, Delivery and Use of Electricity, 31 October to 4 November, Savannah, GA, US Dept. of Energy, p. 42-43, 1993
Amplification, by Pulsed Electromagnetic fields, of Plant Growth Regulator Induced Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase During Differentiation in Suspension Cultured Plant Cells. Jones, D.B.; Bolwell, G.P.; Gilliatt, G.J.J. of Bioelctr 5(1): 1-12, 1986
Perturbations of Plant Leaflet Rhythms Caused by Electromagnetic Radio- Frequency Radiation. Ellingsrud, S.; Johnson, A. Bioelectromagnetics 14(3): 257-271, 1993
Davies, Peter J: Plant Hormones and Their Role in Plant Growth and Development, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Boston, MA 1987
Electromagnetic field, a novel tool to increase germination and seedling vigour of conserved onion (Allium cepa L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds with low viability
M.P. Alexander¹ and S.D. Doijode²
¹ Magnetobiology Centre, 60, 3rd Cross, Jaibharath Nagar, Bangalore, 560 033, India ² Section of Plant Genetic Resources, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore, 560 089, India
Summary
Onion seed conserved for 5 years with a reduced viability of only 41% was exposed to a static magnetic field created by two identical bar magnets connected in a parallel circuit. The magnets were placed one above the other with opposing polarity with an air gap of 2.5 cm. Seeds were placed in the air gap for pulsing with magnetic field strengths (MFS) of 36, 72, 108 and 144 Oersteds at doses of 30 and 60 minutes of exposure. The MFS of 108 Oersteds for 30 minutes significantly increased emergence, germination of seeds, shoot and root lengths as well as fresh and dry weights of the resultant seedlings. Rice seeds conserved for 6 years with the very low viability of 8.1% were exposed to an alternating electromagnetic field (EMF) created by coupling a function generator with a controlled magnetic field enclosure in a series circuit. The seeds were exposed to a frequency of 5 Hz with an amplitude of 1500 nanoTesla for 12 hours. Pulsing with the alternating EMF significantly increased germination of seed, shoot and root lengths, as well as the shoot/root ratio of seedlings. The increase in germination, compared with the control, was 36.60% for onion and 161.48% for rice. The significant increase in the factors contributing to seedling vigour also showed that magnetic stimulus was beneficial in conserving onion and rice seeds. Magnetic stimulus could be used in genebanks to test the viability of conserved onion and rice seeds about to be discarded because of low viability.
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Revised on July 07, 2000. Address comments on the articles to the relevant authors.
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Effect of the Pre-Sowing Magnetic Biostimulation of the Buckwheat Seeds on the Yield and Chemical Composition of Buckwheat Grain
Stanislawa Wójcik
Institute of Plant Cultivation, Lublin, Poland
Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural University, Lublin, Poland
Introduction
The world prognosis foresee the increasing request for food. In only a few decades, the still growing number of the population will have needed nearly three times more food then now. In this connexion, the intensification of an agricultural production with new, environmentally harmless methods becomes an extremely important problem.
The tactics used so far - increasing the area of agricultural farming lands in the developing countries and the intensive chemicalization of croppings in the highly developed countries - on the present level are a danger for local ecosystems and may also seriously threaten the basics of the life on the earth. Since we are not able to decrease the rate of the increase of the population, it is important to stop the devastation of our greatest wealth, that is natural resources, by heightening the culture of the cultivation and plants growing.
Many countries are engaged in scientific research relating to new varieties of plants and methods of their cultivation. These are: genetic engineering, multi-seasonal selection, the protection of yields with the use of special plants and insects, biostimulation using external oestrums such as : infra-red, ultra-violet and laser rays, ultrasounds and electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields.
Laser and magnetic field stimulation seem to be especially promising. This method does not cause any environmental changes, so it is desirable for ecological reasons.
Research work on the effect of magnetic field on plants development and yielding has been started in the last century. However, so far we lack the theory explaining the action of the magnetic field influence on biological objects. The use of the electrotechnology of preceding the sowing seed treatment was tentatively undertaken in the former USSR, USA, Czechoslovakia and Poland gives admittedly satisfactory, but still susceptible of various interpretations results [1, 4, 5].
The magnetic field is not as widely applicable to the pre-sowing seed treatment as the electric field is. The magnetic field used in the experiments is mainly the constant magnetic field produced by magnets or electromagnets. Labile magnetic field is used uncommonly, but with still growing interest. It can be obtained by using a special electromagnet designed by doctor Stanis aw Pietruszewski from the Physics Department of the Agricultural University of Lublin [7, 8, 9].
The research works converge mainly on the experiments. We can separate 3 groups of them:
1. germination of seeds and development of seedlings in the artificial magnetic field;
2. pre - sowing seeds treatment with the use of a magnetic field;
3. soaking or watering seeds using water exposed to the action of a magnetic field.
The research work on the influence of the pre-sowing seed treatment with a magnetic field was undertaken by Pittman [10], who acquired a radical increase of the wheat yield during 2 first years of his research. In experiments with barley seeds the growth of the yield (for the Galt variety) reached 2.8 - 6.5 dt. The plants exposed to the action of a magnetic field were fully mellow 3 - 5 days earlier and also 5 - 8 cm higher than control plants.
In the further research [11] Pittman ascertained, that pre-sowing magnetic field treatment of quiescent seeds of barley and wheat. Causes the debasement of the amylase activity, which can be later observed in the filled out seeds and growing seedlings. The chemical analysis showed the major concentration of deoxidizating saccharides, what might have been the organism's reaction for the earlier magnetic stress and caused the stopping of the amylase activity in the seeds.
The main aim of the research work undertaken by Freyman [1] was to ascertain in which period of the plant's growth the influence of the magnetic field is the most noticeable. It was stated, that the magnetic treatment has caused the minor increase of the assimilation rate between the 29th and 57th day of the barley growing process and even this only in the pot experiments.
Gusta [3] led experiments in the strictly controlled laboratory conditions using the seeds of wheat, barley and oat. However, he did not notice the effect of the magnetic treatment on the energy of seeds and their ability to germinate. The only thing that occurred was an insignificant increase of the wheat seeds ability to germinate.
The yield growth caused by pre - sowing magnetic treatment occurred only once, in 1975, during the 4 years lasting Gubbel's research on the buckwheat, sunflower, flax and pea seeds. The similar research has been undertaken by Roml [12, 13], Sijan [14], Lebedev [6]. Their results are susceptible of various interpretations, but they show the need for this type of research work to be carried on.
The method
The aim of the experiment was to fix the effect of the magnetic field, in which the seeds were put before sowing, on yielding and the chemical composition of buckwheat seeds.
The field experiment was settled in the randomised blocks scheme in the 4 reduplications. The research included 5 variants of seeds being exposed to the action of a magnetic field (induction : 30 mT, exposure time: 4, 8, 15, 30, 60 sec) and a control test.
The variety of buckwheat used was Hruszowska. Every year, the sowing was performed on 15th - 19th may with the used amount of seeds of 70 kg/ha. The distance between the drills was 25 cm.
Before the picking, 50 plants were taken from each plot. The biometrical measurements was performed on those plants (tab. 1).
After the picking, we stated the yield of the seeds and straw (tab. 2) and we also performed chemical analysis using the commonly known methods (tab. 3 and tab. 4).
The results of the research was analysed statistically, and even the least significant differences were fixed on the ground of T. Tuckey's test.
The research conditions
The soil, on which the experiment was perform is counted to the Good Rye Complex. It is light soil, with the texture of loam sand, with a little ability to store water, but getting warm quickly. The soil is slightly sour. Its pH is 5.9. The contents of nutritive substances in 100 g of soil is : P2O5 - 11.3 mg; K2O - 13.4 mg; Mg - 1.7 mg. The weather conditions were not very favourable during the years of experiment, especially during the period florescence, setting seeds and adolescence. Nevertheless, the achieved yield of the seeds and straw should be acknowledged satisfactory.
The results
The development phases of buckwheat were independent of the pre - sowing magnetic field seed treatment.
The results of biometrical measurement of the buckwheat plants show favourable, but still not great, effect of magnetic field. In the combinations in which the seeds were exposed to the pre - sowing magnetic field stimulation, almost all the biometrical features increased in value.
The plants length varied from 95.4 cm (combination 0) to 98.9 cm (60 sec). The number of internodes was definitely larger in the combinations where the pre-sowing seed treatment had been used. The situation was similar in relation to the number of racemes and brauchinesses of the 1st and 2nd degree.
The grain number in total and the number of the developed grain were the lowest in the control combination and the highest in the 30 sec combination (276.8 seeds) and the 15 sec combination (190.5 seeds).
The average mass of 1000 grains, independently of a combination, was 22.928g. The buckwheat grain from the 15 sec combination had the highest mass of 23.484g.
In all combinations of the experiment the buckwheat yield was higher than in the control combination. The average and independent of the combination, grain yield was 2.61 t/ha. We obtained the highest yield sowing the seeds which had been exposed to 4 and 15 sec action of the magnetic field. They were, accordingly, 2.74 and 2.76 t/ha. The lowest grain yield that was achieved came from the control combination (2.39 t/ha).
The straw yields were the highest in the 8 sec (6.77 t/ha) and 15 sec (6.84 t/ha) mcombination, and the lowest in 4 sec combination (5.85 t/ha), and in the control combination (566.89 t/ha), table 2.
To compare the participation of seeds and straw in the total yield (seeds+straw) we reduced so called harvest index. This index has been estimated from the relation of the seed yield to the total yield. The results is presented on the table 2. As a general rule, the harvest index was higher in the combination, in which the magnetically treated seeds were sown. However, after the 8 sec stimulation the value of the index was insignificantly lower in compare to the control object. You can notice the tendency the increase the contents of Mg, Fe, Cu, fibre and proteins in the buckwheat seeds, along with the increase of the amount of Fe and Zn in the buckwheat straw (tab. 3 and tab. 4).
Discussion and conclusions
Magnetic field is one the most important factors influencing the living organisms development, and the plants among others. The research work performed so far do not explain how it works. It is a results of our still insufficient knowledge of the life process having place inside the cells and multilocular organisms.
The presented results indicate the beneficial effect of the pre - sowing seed stimulation in the magnetic field on the biometrical features, yield and the chemical composition of the buckwheat grain.
The 15 - 30 sec lasting effect of the magnetic field on seeds was conducive to growing the larger number of internodes, racemes and the number and the mass of the developed grain. The buckwheat grain yield , in compare to the control object, was higher in the combinations in which the seeds were exposed to the pre - sowing magnetic biostimulation. The yield of straw trended a bit differently : it was the highest after 15 and 8 sec stimulation (accordingly 6.84 and 6.77 t/ha). Also the contents of some substances in buckwheat grain (Mg, Fe, Cu) and straw (P, Ca, K, Zn) was greater if the time of the exposing of the seeds in the magnetic field was longer.
However, the undertaken research did not explain the basics of the magnetic field effect. Still, the obtained results show the beneficial influence of this kind of treatment. Thus this sort of research will be continued and we shall hope to understand the action of the magnetic field effect on plants.
References
1. Freyman S.: Quantitative analysis of growth in Southern Alberta of two barley cultivars grown from magnetically treated and untreated seed. Can. J. Plant Sci. 1980, 60, 2, 463 - 471.
2. Gubbels G. H.: Seedling growth and yield response of flax, buckwheat, sunflower and field pea after preseeding magnetic treatment. Can. J. Plant Sci. 1982, 62, . 1, 61 - 64.
3. Gusta L. V., Kirkland K. J., Austenson H. M.: Effects of a brief magnetic exposure on cereal germination and seedling growth. Can. J. Plant Sci. 1978, 58, 1, 79 - 86.
4. Kope B.: Effect of electric and magnetic field on biological properties of seeds. Dissertation. Agriculture University in Lublin, 1984 (in Polish).
5. Kope B.: Application of a magnetic field for the presowing treatment of seed. Post. Nauk Rol. 1985, 1, 93 - 100 (in Polish).
6. Lebedev S. J., Baranskij P. I., Litvinenko L. G., Shiyan L. T.: Physiobiochemical characteristics of plants after presowing treatment with a permanent magnetic field. Plant Physiol. 1975, n 1, 103 - 109 (in Russian).
7. Pietruszewski St.: Effect of presowing magnetic treatment on yields of wheat and biological properties of seed. Annales UMCS, Lublin, 1991, Sectio AAA, XLVI/XLVII, 36, 369 - 375 (in Polish).
8. Pietruszewski St.: Effect of magnetic seed treatment on yields of wheat. Seed Sci. and Technolog. 1993, 21, 621 - 626.
9. Pietruszewski St., Skwarek M.: Effect of alternating magnetic field on biological properties of buckwheat seeds. Annales UMCS Lublin, 1990, sectio AAA, XLV, 11, 107 - 111 (in Polish).
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11.Pittman U. J., Carefoot J. M., Ormrod D. P.: Effect of magnetic seed treatment on amylolytic activity of Quiescent and germinating barley and wheat seeds. Can. J. Plant Sci. 1979, 59, 4, 1007 - 1011.
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13.Rumlova L., Ruml M., Bro F., Stanek Z.: Pre - sowing seed exposure to weak magnetic fields. Zem d. Techn. 28 (3), 155 - 166 (in Czech).
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15. Tonkin J. H. B.: Pelleting and other pre - sowing treatments. Advances in Research and Technology of Seeds 1984, 9, 94 - 127.
Current Advances in Buckwheat Research (1995) : 667 - 674
Magnetic Fields and Plants
In the late 1980,s a Japanese researcher, Fujio Shimazaki (Shimazaki Seed Company) reported that stationary magnetic fields can improve the germination of seeds and speed up the growth of plants so that they can be harvested sooner.
The reported field strenght was roughly 10,000 times the strength of Earth's magnetic field. Permanent as well as electromagnets were used in his study. According to Shimazaki, Soy beans can be harvested in 70 days in stead of the usual 82 days, and the quality of the beans also increased.
There was also an article, not really about stationary magnetic fields, but about effects of
low frequency electrical fields on plants was in anarticle in New Scientist, 14 Jan. 1995, p.5:
FOREST GROWS TALL ON RADIO WAVES
Trees growing close to a giant comunications antenna in Michigan have put on an unusual spurt of growth since the Navy moved into the forest eight years ago. Forestry researchers attribute the extra growth to the electromagnetic field around the antenna, which stretches for 90 kilometres through the Michigan forest. Since the antenna was switched on in 1986, the trunks of nearby aspen and red maple trees have grown much thicker than expected, while red pines have grown taller. "It's similar to what you would expect from aspens that had been fertilised," says Glenn Mroz of the Michigan Technological University in Houghton.
Project ELF, as the Navy calls it, uses the antenna to communicate with submarines on extremely low frequency (76 Hertz) radio waves. The antenna amounts to little more than electrical wire strung from pole to pole in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which is sparsely settled but heavely forested.
Environmentalists fought the Navy's plans for the antenna, arguing that its electromagnetic fields might be damaging to human health. But the Navy won the battle and Project ELF started operating at low power in 1986, moving to full power three years later.
The researchers have been gathering data on the growth of trees since 1985, making measurements at two sites, one near the antenna and the other 50 kilometres away.
The results seem to suggest that the electromagnetic field has a subtle influence on the forest. They found that two species of trees, northern red oak and paper birch, do not seem to be influenced by the antenna at all. But red pines near the antenna grew taller than red pines at the distant site, while aspen and red maple grew thicker than their counterparts further off.
Other measures suggest that the electromagnetic field did not damage the health of the trees: they produced the same number of leaves as trees elsewhere, and the leaves were as well supplied with nutrients.
Mroz says the study was not intended to find what caused the spurt in growth, but laboratory experiments suggest that the electromagnetic field might accelerate the transport of nutrients such as calcium across cell walls.
