Modulation of germination and growth of plants by meditation.
So called primitive peoples of the world share a philosophy that human interaction via ceremony or ritual can affect the natural world. Is it possible to affect the germination and growth of plants by imbuing them with an intent to stimulate or inhibit them? We conducted a double blind series of experiments to determine whether a process of meditation on the water (referred to as "treated") given to a controlled planting of green peas or wheat would affect their germination. Peas were given water treated with stimulating intent. Statistical analysis was done using contingency table, Fisher's test, and Mantel-Haenszel analysis. The germination rate of 504 seeds receiving treated water with stimulating intent was 60.3% compared to 51.8% for the 504 controls (p = 0.006, 0.047, 0.003 respectively). A similar experiment was conducted with wheat with the intent of inhibiting germination. The germination rate of 2970 wheat seeds receiving treated water with inhibitory intent was 70.7% versus 74.9% for 2970 controls (p < 0.001, 0.0001, 0.001 respectively). During the sixth run of the wheat (inhibition) experiment, the seedlings were harvested and individually weighed on the tenth day after planting to determine whether there was any difference in growth. The mass of the treated seedlings was statistically significantly lower (mean = 97 mg versus 106 mg for the controls) when compared by analysis of variance (p = 0.000056). We conclude that meditation upon the water supplied to green peas and wheat can affect their germination rates and growth.
Haid
M
M
Northwestern University Medical School, Highland Park, IL, USA.
Huprikar
S
S
D004311:Double-Blind Method; D018525:Germination; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000254:growth & development*; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D014908:Triticum / Q000254:growth & development*