Study of the effect of magnetic treatments on the physiology and yield of different crop species

In this study it was evaluated the hypothesis that the magnetic treatment of seeds and irrigation water affects the physiological performance of different short-cycle crop species. This was based on previous reports where these treatments generated tangible benefits in the crop yield. The objective of this work was, hence, to study the physiological parameters and yield in four short-cycle species (tomato, radish, maize and pepper) after a magnetic pretreatment to the seeds and during growth with magnetically-treated water under different conditions (controlled hydroponic system and net house). Among the main variables, the germination rate, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, water status and biomass accumulation were analyzed. The physicochemical properties of magnetically-treated water were also evaluated. The results showed that the magnetic pretreatment of seeds produces a marginal benefit in the vigor and germination percentage. In contrast, the magnetic treatment of water caused significant increases in photosynthesis, water potential and root hydraulic conductance. These effects were concomitant with a greater accumulation of biomass and nutrients in different organs, as well as a greater tolerance to water stress. However, these responses were not significant for all the species evaluated. It is concluded that the physiological effects on germinating seeds with magnetic pretreatment depend on the radical-pair mechanism in enzymatic reactions. On the other hand, the reduction in the surface tension of the magnetically-treated water would stimulate the water transport process from the roots to the leaves, which enhances the growth and development.

• Autores: Ospina-Salazar, Daniel I.
• Tipo de recurso: Doctoral thesis
• Fecha de publicación: 2017
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
• Repositorio: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
• Idioma: spa
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.unal.edu.co:unal/59912
• Acceso en línea: https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/59912; http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/57732/
• Palabra clave: 58 Plantas / Plants; 63 Agricultura y tecnologías relacionadas / Agriculture; Biomass; Enzymatic mechanisms; Germination; Magneto-biology; Photosynthesis; Surface tension; Water activity
• Rights: openAccess
• License: Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional