Improvement of the growth and yield of lettuce plants by non-uniform magnetic fields.
Influence of pre-sowing magnetic treatments on plant growth and final yield of lettuce (cv. Black Seeded Simpson) were studied under organoponic conditions. Lettuce seeds were exposed to full-wave rectified sinusoidal non uniform magnetic fields (MFs) induced by an electromagnet at 120 mT (rms) for 3 min, 160 mT (rms) for 1 min, and 160 mT (rms) for 5 min. Non treated seeds were considered as controls. Plants were grown in experimental stonemasons (25.2 m(2)) of an organoponic and cultivated according to standard agricultural practices. During nursery and vegetative growth stages, samples were collected at regular intervals for growth analyses. At physiological maturity, the plants were harvested from each stonemason and the final yield and yield parameters were determined. In the nursery stage, the magnetic treatments induced a significant increase of root length and shoot height in plants derived from magnetically treated seeds. In the vegetative stage, the relative growth rates of plants derived from magnetically exposed seeds were greater than those shown by the control plants. At maturity stage, all magnetic treatments increased significantly (p < 0.05)--plant height, leaf area per plant, final yield per area, and fresh mass per plant--in comparison with the controls. Pre-sowing magnetic treatments would enhance the growth and final yield of lettuce crop.
Center for Environmental Research, Services and Technologies of Granma, Agricultural Research Institute Jorge Dimitrov, Granma, Cuba. angelrdt2002@yahoo.com
Angel
A
De Souza
Lilita
L
Sueiro
Luis Manuel
LM
González
Luis
L
Licea
Elia Porras
EP
Porras
Fidel
F
Gilart
D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D018545:Lactuca / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage