Role of pulsed electromagnetic field on enzyme activity, [601823]

Biocatalysis and Agricultural
Biotechnology
Manuscript Draft

Manuscript Number: BAB -D-16-00033

Title: Role of pulsed electromagnetic field on enzyme activity,
germination, pla nt growth and yield of durum wheat

Article Type: Research Paper (FLA)

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Role of pulsed electromagnetic field on enzyme activity, germination, plant growth and
yield of durum wheat
Katsenios Nikolaos1, Bilalis Dimitrios1, Efthimiadou Aspasia2, Aivalakis Georgios3,
Nikolopoulou Aimilia -Eleni3, Karkanis Anestis4, Travlos Ilias1
1 Laboratory of Crop Production, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855
Athens, Greece
2 Open University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 24801, 1304 Nicosia, Cyprus
3 Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855
Athens, Greece
4 Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of
Thessaly, Fytokou Street, N. Ionia, 38466 Magnisia, Greece
Abstract
Rese archers have focused their efforts on the use of magnetic field as a pre -sowing method ,
as it is an inexpensive, environmentally friendly technique. This study provides a holistic
approach of an agricultural cultivation that can lead to the comprehension of the exact
mechanism of magnetic field effect on plant and lead to the appropriate application of
magnetic fields . Pulsed electromagnetic field was used for 0, 15, 30 and 45 minutes as a pre –
sowing treatment in durum wheat seeds in a field experiment for three years. The experiment
followed a completely randomized design, with four treatments (Control, MF -15, MF -30 and
MF-45), two cultivars and three replications. The aim of this study was to determine the
effect of magnetic field exposure on durum wheat seeds, covering a complete range of
agronomic characteristics. The results obtained in this three -year experiment showed a
positive impact of pulsed electromagnetic field, in durum wheat cultivation. Magnetic field *Manuscript
Click here to view linked References

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has been found to enhance germination, ti llering, dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll content,
photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and yield of two durum wheat
cultivars. In addition, α-amylase activity measurements showed that magnetic field affects
enzymes and this coul d possibly explain the improved germination.

Keywords: magnetic field, α-amylase, germination, durum wheat , yield
INTRODUCTION
Investigation of magnetic field ’s inf luence on plant growth has started to develop rapidly
during the last decades. Encouraging results indicated that magnetic field could enhance
some plant functions. The use of magnetic field on seeds as a priming technique is getting
more and more familiar among researchers (Bhardwaj et al., 2012).
The existence of earth’s magnetic field is kn own to mankind since ancient times, through the
discovery of the ability of the mineral magnetite to be oriented in the direction North – South
when freely suspended above the earth . But despite the fact that it has always been one of the
key features of t he environment, until recently the study of the effect of the magnetic field in
agronomic science was absent. Each region is characterized by a number of abiotic factors
(water, air, soil, temperature) including the magnetic field. However, for many years, the
magnetic field of earth constituted as an invariable parameter of the environment that was not
taken into account in plant studies.
The father of bio -electromagnetism is Hippocrates, who first tried to cure breast cancer by
exposure of the sun’s electromagnetic radiation ( therapy by the sun’ s rays). About 2,000
years later, during the 18th century, Luigi Galvani tried to treat tumors, aneurysms and
hemorrhages by applying electricity to tissues. In 1840, Recamier and Pravaz provided a

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method of de stroying the cancer cells in the uterus through the use of electricity, which soon
became common practice (Stavroulakis, 2003).
Different types of plant materials (seeds, seedlings, young plants and cuttings) have been
used. These plant materials have been treated with different types of magnetic field . (Flórez
et al., 2007; Hajnorouzi et al., 2011). More particularly, in order to study the effect s on
plants , various types of magnetic fields have been used (static , electromagnetic , pulsed
electromagnetic) , in different intensities and exposure duration (Poinapen et al., 2013 ,
Aguilar et al., 2009 , Bilalis et al., 201 2a, Radhakrishnan and Kumari, 2012 ). Regarding
exposure time, it varies from 15 seconds (Muszinski et al., 2009) to 24 hours (Martinez et al.,
2009). Many experiments have been done with cereal grains (Torres et al., 2008; Vashisth &
Nagarajan, 2008; Vashisth & Nagarajan, 2010), legumes (Podlesny et al., 2004; Podlesny et
a e ou a et a h a bo et a an erenn a s elik et al., 2008;,
Dardeniz et al., 2006; Dhawi & Al -Khayri, 2009).
Investigations in various plant species showed a positiv e effect of the magnetic field o n seed
germination ( Bhardwaj et al., 2012 ), plant development in the early stages ( De souza et al.,
2014 ) and ultimately yield (Vashisth et al., 2013 ). Magnetic field has been found to improve
the growth of plants, such as tomatoes (De Souza et al., 2006), the germination and the early
stages of growth in plants such as sunflower (Vashisth & Nagaraj an, 2010) and soybean
(Radhakrishnan and Kumari, 2012 ). Moreover, researchers report the increase of the root
system in young maize seedlings (Muraji et al., 1998). Animal experiments have shown that
short duration PEMF seem to facilitate and improve the q uality of skin wound healing in rats
(Athanasiou et al., 2007).
The enhancement of plant growth parameters is absolutely desirable in modern and organic
agriculture, since it can be achieved through the use of an environmentally friendly method,

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which is also inexpensive. It is worth noting that many researchers have focused their efforts
on the use of magnetic field as a pre -sowing technique, as it is an inexpensive,
environmentally friendly technique, which can be applied with relative ease (Vashisth and
Nagarajan, 2010).
Magnetic field treatment on seeds has been found to increase the activity of hydrolytic
enzymes such as amylase s in sunflower (Vashisth and Nagarajan, 2010). In cucumber,
magnetic field treated seeds showed higher activity of β-amylase and finally increased the
rate of germination compared to control (Bhardwaj et al., 2012). The increase of enzyme
activity could be a primary positive effect of magnetic field treatment that subsequently leads
to higher germination percentage, pla nt growth and yield.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of magnetic field exposure on durum wheat
seeds, covering a complete range of agronomic characteristics such as germination, tillering,
dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll content, phot osynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal
conductance and yield. The activity of α-amylase was investigated to explain the increase of
germination of durum wheat seeds. Our purpose was to have replicable results in a three -year
period.
MATERIALS AND M ETHODS
Plant Material
A field experiment was established at the Agricultural University of Athens (Greece),
for three consecutive cultivation years (2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12). Two durum wheat
(Simeto by Thrakiki Sporoparagogiki and Grecale by NAGREF ) varieties were used.
Treatments

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Four different exposure times of pulsed electromagnetic field were applied in both cultivars .
The seeds were treated using a PAPIMI electromagnetic field generator for 15, 30 and 45
minutes before planting. Non treated se eds were used as control. The PAPIMI device is a
pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) generator (PAPIMI model 600; Pulse Dynamics,
Athens, Greece. Manufacturer characteristics: 35 –80 J/pulse energy, 1×10 -6 s wave duration,
35–80×106 W wave power, amplitude of the order of 12.5 mT, rise time 0.1 ms, fall time 10
ms, repetitive frequency of 3 Hz.). The same device has been used in medical and agricultural
studies (Athanasiou et al., 2007; Bilalis et al., 2012 b; Katsenios, 2013; Milgram et al., 2004).
Experime ntal design
The experiment followed a completely randomized design, with four treatments
(Control, MF -15, MF -30 and MF -45), two cultivars and three replications for three years.
Every replication was consisted of an area of 6 m2. The quantity of seeds used was 16 g / m2
for all cultivars .
Measurements and Observations
Germination (number of plants per 1 meter row) measurement took place 20 DAS,
while tillering (plants per 1 meter row) took place 50 DAS. Leaf area (cm2 per plant) and
stem dry weight (g per plant) were destructive measurements and took place 150 DAS. Leaf
area was measured by using an automatic leaf area meter (Delta -T Devices Ltd., Burrwell,
Cambridge, UK). Stem dry weight was measured by a precision balance after the samples
were oven dried at 70o C for three days in order to measure the weight in grams per plant. For
the chlorophyll (μg/cm2) measurement, a portable chlorophyll meter (SPAD) was used. The
measurement was taken 130 DAS . A calibration curve has been created in order to convert
the SPAD measurement to μg/cm2 (Lichtenthler and Wellburn, 1983) . Measurements of
photosynthetic rate (μmol CO 2m-2 s-1), transpiration rate (mmol H 2O m-2 s-1) and stomatal

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conductance (mol m-2 s-1) were undertaken between the hours of 10.30 and 14.30 on fully
expanded leaves, with five measurements per treatment. Measurements were made using an
LCi Leaf Chamber Analysis System (ADC, Bioscientific, Hoddesdon, UK). Physiology
measurements were taken 115 DAS .
The activity of α-amylase has been recorded on Simeto variety. A reference curve has been
produced, using standard solutions and then we took three measurements, the third, the fourth
and the fifth day after sowing. The activity of α-amylase was determined using the method
described by Guglielminetti et al., 1995. Samples (0.2 -0.5 g fresh weight) were extracted in
100 mM Hepes -KOH, pH 7.5, containing 1 mM EDTA, 5 mM MgCl,, 5 mM DTT, 10 mM
NaHSO,. E xtracts were centrifuged (13,000 g, 15 min), the resulting pellets were washed with
the extraction buffer and centrifuged again, and the resulting supernatants were combined and
used for the enzymatic assays. Samples were assayed for the enzymatic activities at 25°C in
0.5-mL reaction mixtures using the following method. α-amylase (Doehlert et al., 1982):
samples pretreated at 70°C in the presence of 3 mM CaC1, to eliminate interferences from β-
amylase were incubated with 2.5% (w/v) soluble starch; activity of enzyme (1 unit) is defined
as the amount of enzyme required to produce 1 pmol Glc min-1.

Statistical analysis
The experimental data were analyzed using Statistica software (StatSoft, 1996), according to
the completely randomized design. Analysis of variance ( ANOVA ) and comparisons of means
were calculated using the least significant difference ( LSD) test, at the 5% level of
significance.
RESULT S

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The use of pulsed electromagnetic field as a pre -sowing treatment was found to enhance
durum wheat germination, tillering, dry weight, leaf a rea, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic
rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and yield. Moreover , it was found that magnetic
field in creased the activity of α-amylase, the third and the fourth day after sowing.
Germination and Tillering
Magnetic field improved germination (plants per row) of durum wheat seeds (Table 1, 2) . An
interaction of magnetic field and variety has been recorded , in the three -year field
experiment. The highest number of plants per row has been measured at Grecale -45
treatment (80.96), with statistically significant differences compared to all other treatments,
except Grecale -30 (80.55) and Grecale -15 treatment (78.80). These treatments gave values
with no statistically significant differences compared to Simeto -45 (78.34). Moreover,
Simeto -30 (73.17) and Grecale -0 (71.68) gave higher values with statistically significant
differences compared to Simeto -15 (69.10), which gave higher values with statistically
significant differences compared to Simeto -0 (60.05). Tille ring measurement (plants per row)
showed statistically significant differences among treatments (Table 1, 2). An interaction of
magnetic field and variety has been found, in the three -year field experiment. The highest
number of tillering has been found at Grecale -45 (129.16), followed by Grecale -30 (123.86).
Both treatments gave values with statistically significant differences compared to all other
treatments, with statistically significant differences . Grecale -15 (112.81 ) gave higher values
with statisti cally significant differences compared to Grecale -0 (104.62). Moreover, Simeto –
45 (96.62), Simeto -30 (95.73) and Simeto -15 (92.04) gave values that were statistically
significant higher compared to the control (78.17), for significant level of 0.05. Regard ing
year, the third one (100.20) gave values that were statistically significant higher compared to
first and second year.

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Plant growth
Plant growth characteristics gave statistically significant differences (Table 3). An interaction
of magnetic field and variety has been found, in the three -year field experiment (Table 1).
The highest values in plant dry weight (g per plant ) were measured at Simeto -45 treatment
(15.23) with statistically significant differences compared to all treatments except Grecale -45
(15.11), Grecale -30 (14.64), Simeto -30 (14.05) and Grecale -15 (14.02) . Moreover, Simeto -15
(13.81) gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to Simeto -0 (12.03)
and Grecale -0 (11.94), for significant level of 0.05. Regarding year, the second (14.82) and
the first (14.57) gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to the third
year (12.17). Leaf area measurement (cm2 per plant) showed statistically significant
differences among treatments (Table 3 ). An interact ion of magnetic field and variety has been
found, in the three -year field experiment (Table 1) . The highest leaf area has been found at
Grecale -45 treatment (249.26), with statistically significant differences compared to all other
treatments, followed by Grecale -30 (240.13). This treatment gave values with statistically
significant differences compared to Grecale -15 (230.94), which also gave values with
statistically significant differences compared to Grecale -0 (219.30). Moreover, Simeto -15
(181.58), Sime to-30 (176.61) and Simeto -45 (174.41) gave values that were statistically
significant ly higher compared to Simeto -0 (159.82). Regarding year, the third (206.88) and
the second (205.44) gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to th e
first year (199.71).
Physiology measurements
The chlorophyll content (μg/cm2) of durum wheat plant was higher at the magnetic filed
treatments (Table 4). An interaction of magnetic field and variety has been found, in the
three -year field experiment (Table 1). The highest values of chlorophyll content were

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measur ed at Simeto -15 treatment ( 49.27 ), Simeto -30 (48.61), Simeto -45 (48.51) and Grecale –
30 (47.90) with statistically significant differences compared to all other treatments except
Grecale -45 (47.04 ). Moreover, Grecale -15 (45.50) gave values that were no statistically
significa ntly higher compared to Grecale -45 and Grecale -0 (43.94). Grecale -0 gave values
that were statistically significant ly higher compared to Simeto -0 (38.95). Regarding year, the
first (54.06) and the second (52.74) gave values that were statistically signific ant higher
compared to the third year (54.06).
Photosynthetic rate ( μmol CO 2 m-2 s-1) of durum wheat plants was higher at the ma gnetic filed
treatments (Table 5 ). An interaction of magnetic field and variety has been found, in the
three -year field experiment (Table 1). The highest photosynthetic rate has been found at
Simeto -30 (19.52) and Simeto -45 (19.31) treatments , with statistically significant differences
compared to all other treatments, except Simeto -15 (17.78) and Grecale -30 treatment ( 16.98 ).
These treatments gave values with no statistically significant differences compared to
Grecale -15 (15.89 ) and Simeto -0 (15.52) . However , these treatments gave value s with
statistically significant differences compared to Grecale -0 (11.66). Regarding year, the third
(19.14) gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to the second year
(17.07), which also gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to the
first year (13.79). Transpiration rate (mmol H 2O m-2 s-1) of durum wheat plants showed some
statistically significant differences regarding magnetic field tr eatment, variety and year.
Treatments of 30 (4.06) and 45 minutes (3.90) of magnetic field exposure gave values that
were statistically significant ly higher compared to 15 minutes (3.38). All magnetic field
treatments gave values that were statistically si gnificant higher compared to control (2.24).
Regarding year, the third (3.88) and the second (3.41) gave values that were statistically
significant ly higher compared to the first year (2.89). Finally, the variety Simeto (3.55) gave
values that were statist ically significant higher compared to Grecale (3.24). Stomatal

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conductance (mol m-2 s-1) of durum wheat plants was higher at the magnetic filed treatments
(Table 5). An interaction of magnetic field and variety has been found, in the three -year field
experiment (Table 1). The highest stomatal conductance has been found at Simeto -30 (0.24)
and Simeto -45 (0.24) treatments, with statistically significant differences compared to Simeto –
15 (0.20) treatment. Simeto -15 gave values that were statistically significant ly higher
compared to Grecale -30 (0.18), Grecale -45 (0.17), Grecale -15 (0.17) and Simeto-0 (0.17).
Grecale -0 (0.13) gave the lowest values of all treatments with statistically significant
differences.
Yield
The pre -sowing application of magnetic field increased yield of durum wheat (Table 6). Yield
(kg per ha) of durum wheat plants showed some statistically significant differences regarding
magnetic field treatment, variety and year. T he treatments of 45 (3229.2 ), 30 (3113.4) and 15
minutes (2941.8 ) of magnetic field exposure gave values that were statistically significant ly
higher compared to 0 minutes (2428.5 ). That means that a ll magnetic field treatments gave
values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to control . Regarding year, the
second (3332.8 ) gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared to the third
year (3045.5 ). The third year gave values that were statistically significant ly higher compared
to the first year (2406.3). Finally, the variety Grecale (3126.7 ) gave values that were
statistically significant ly higher compared to Simeto (2729.8 ).
Act v ty of α -amylase
The activity of α-amylase has been conducted on Simeto variety. The results showed that pre –
sowing application of magnetic field on durum wheat seeds leads to increased activity of α-
amylase at 30 minutes of exposure, the third day after sowing. Moreover, at the fourth day
after sowing, in all magnetic field measurements ( 15, 30 and 45 minutes ) the observed

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enzyme activity was statistically significant ly higher compared to the untreated seeds
(control ). At the fifth day, all treatments gave similar results, with no statistically significant
differences.
DISCUSSION
The results obtained in this three -year experiment showed a positive impact of pulsed
electromagnetic field, in durum wheat cultivation. Magneti c field has been found to enhance
germination, tillering, dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate,
transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and yield of two durum wheat cultivars. In addition ,
α-amylase activity measurements showed that magnetic field affects enzymes and this could
possibly explain the improved germination.
In 1999 Pietruszewski found that the presowing application of magnetic field increased the
germination of two wheat varietie s, while similar are the findings of Aksenov in 1997.
Increase of the percentage of germination rate as a result of exposure to a magnetic field
states also Cakmak (2010) for wheat grain. The positive influence of the magnetic field in the
germination of c orn seeds has also been expressed and through the reduction of time of
germination. Florez in 2007 indicates that this reduction eventually led to an increase of 16 to
25% germination rate compared to the control. It should be noted that the emergence of t he
capacity improvement is recorded in controlled conditions (Petri dishes) and field conditions
(Bilalis et al., 2012b).
Recently, Javed et al., (2011) found that pretreated corn seeds with different electromagnetic
treatments particularly 100 and 150 m T for 10 min significantly alleviated the drought –
induced adverse effects on growth by improving photosynthesis, transpiration rate and
stomatal conductance. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) improved main physiology

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measurements such transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance at the
early stages of cotton plants (Bilalis et al., 2013).
Low-intensity magnetic field has been used in strawberry plants and had a positive effect on
the yields, in weight and in the number of fruit (Esitken and Turan, 2004). The pre treatment
of lettuce seeds with magnetic field also led to an increase in final yield (De Souza et al.,
2008). With presowing application of the magnetic field in cotton, it has been found that
certain varieties can double their yields compared to control (Leelapriya et al., 2003). A
recent study used two types of hybrid corn using t hree different durations of exposure to the
magnetic field. The results showed that the ideal exposure to the magnetic field varies even
among the groups of the same species (Bilalis et al., 2012c). A similar finding has been noted
by other researchers who argue that it is necessary to find the exact parameters of radiation
that cause positive biostimulation in seeds, which depends on the genotype (Hernandez –
Aguilar et al., 2009). Pietruszewski (1996) has reported increase in crop yields after the
influence of the magnetic field .
The exposure of seeds at magnetic field was found to increase the activity of α-amylase in the
third and fourth day after sowing, thus giving an advantage during germination. On the fourth
day after seeding, the magnetic field trea tments exhibited increased activity of 50 to 100%
compared with the control treatment. Amylases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of
starch in the early stages of seed germination. The hydrolytic enzymes secreted by
diktyosomata inside the endosperm and catalyze the hydrolysis of starch to glucose reserves.
Glucose is the source of energy and carbon skeletons for growth of the young seedling, which
in the early stages of life remains heterotrophic. Recent studies have reported higher activity
of α-amylase in sunflower seeds having treated with magnetic field (Vashisth and Nagarajan,
2010). In contrast, in soybean seeds the pretreatment with PMF resulted to α-amylase activity
reduction eight days after treatment. ( Radhakrishnan and Kumari, 2012 ).

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The multiple regression analysis indicates that there was a statistically significant relationship
between Dry Weight (DW150), Leaf Area (LA150) and Yield (YIELD):

St. Error p-level
DW150 3.314 0.037
LA150 0.175 0.000
This equation explains that Leaf Area (p<0.001) and Dry Weight ( p<0.05 ) affected
statistically significant the Yield of durum wheat (Figure 2).
In a similar field experiment conducted in tomato crop , magnetic field treatment, in certain
times of exposure, improved shoot diameter, number of leaves per plant, fresh and dry
weight, number of flowers, and yield per plant. Such studies provide a holistic approach of an
agricultural cultivation that can lead to the comprehension of the exact mechanism of
magnetic field effect on plant tissues and lead to the appropriate application of magnetic
fields (Efthimiadou et al., 2014) .

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Table 1. Analysis of variance (F values)

*. **. ***=significance at 0.05. 0.01 and 0.001. ns=not significant Germination (plants
per row) 20 DAS Tillering (plants per row)
50 DAS Dry Weight (g per plant)
150 DAS Leaf Area
(cm2 per plant)
150 DAS
Year 6.39ns 57.26*** 493.97*** 9.13*
Variety 348.36*** 586.31*** 19.37* 1017.86***
Magnetic 178.08*** 71.51*** 249.00*** 88.10***
Variety*Magnetic 18.46*** 9.05*** 3.63* 13.33***
Year*Variety*Magnetic 1.27ns 2.75ns 4.39ns 2.76ns
Chlorophyll
content
(μg per cm2)
130 DAS Photosynthetic rate
(μmol CO 2m-2 s-1)
115 DAS Transpiration
rate (mmol H 2O
m-2 s-1) 115 DAS Stomatal
conductance
(mol m-2 s-1)
115 DAS Yield (kg per hectare)
Year 1399.29*** 262.28*** 41.17** 5.71ns 172.35***
Variety 0.51ns 233.72*** 17.53* 70.08** 98.26***
Magnetic 77.05*** 120.14*** 76.94*** 129.12*** 38.24***
Variety*Magnetic 30.19*** 3.63* 0.95ns 14.67*** 2.63ns
Year*Variety*Magnetic 1.60ns 1.65ns 1.18ns 0.81ns 1.48ns

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Table 2 . Interaction of magnetic field and variety on germination (30 DAS) and tillering (50
DAS) of durum wheat for three years.
Germination (plants per row) 20 DAS Tillering (plants per row) 50 DAS
Magnetic*Variety Year Magnetic*Variety Year
Simeto 0 60.05 e First 74.30 a Simeto 0 78.17 e First 106.37 a
Simeto 15 69.10 d Second 74.84 a Simeto 15 92.04 d Second 105.81 a
Simeto 30 73.17 c Third 73.10 a Simeto 30 95.73 d Third 100.20 b
Simeto 45 78.34 b Simeto 45 96.62 d
Grecale 0 71.68 c Grecale 0 104.62 c
Grecale 15 78.80 ab Grecale 15 112.81 b
Grecale 30 80.55 ab Grecale 30 123.86 a
Grecale 45 80.96 a Grecale 45 129.16 a
Means followed by the same letter for treatments are not significantly different according to
the least signifficant difference (LSD) test
Table 3. Interaction of magnetic field and variety on dry weight and leaf area (150 DAS) of
durum wheat for three years.
Dry Weight (g per plant) 150 DAS Leaf Area (cm2 per plant) 150 DAS
Magnetic*Variety Year Magnetic*Variety Year
Simeto 0 12.03 c First 14.57 a Simeto 0 159.82 f First 199.71 b
Simeto 15 13.81 b Second 14.82 a Simeto 15 181.58 e Second 205.44 a
Simeto 30 14.05 ab Third 12,17 b Simeto 30 176.61 e Third 206.88 a
Simeto 45 15.23 a Simeto 45 174.41 e
Grecale 0 11.94 c Grecale 0 219.30 d
Grecale 15 14.02 ab Grecale 15 230.94 c

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Grecale 30 14.64 ab Grecale 30 240.13 b
Grecale 45 15.11 ab Grecale 45 249.26 a
Means followed by the same letter for treatments are not significantly different according to
the LSD test.
Table 4. Interaction of magnetic field and variety on chlorophyll (13 0 DAS) of durum wheat
for three years.
Ch oro hy content μg er c 2) 130 DAS
Magnetic*Variety Year
Simeto 0 38.95 d First 54.06 a
Simeto 15 49.27 a Second 52.74 a
Simeto 30 48.61 a Third 31.85 b
Simeto 45 48.51 a
Grecale 0 43.94 c
Grecale 15 45.50 bc
Grecale 30 47.90 a
Grecale 45 47.04 ab
Means followed by the same letter for treatments are not significantly different according to
the LSD test.

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Table 5. Interaction of magnetic field and variety on photosynthetic rate (115 DAS) , effect of magnetic field, variety and year on transpiration
rate (115 DAS) and interaction of magnetic field and variety on stomatal conductance (115 DAS) of durum wheat for three years. Means
followed by the same letter for treatments are not significantly different according to the LSD test.
Photosynthet c rate μ o C -2 s-1)
115 DAS Transpiration rate (mmol H2O m-2 s-1)
115 DAS Stomatal conductance (mol m-2 s-1)
115 DAS
Magnetic*Variety Year Magnetic Year Variety Magnetic*Variety Year
Simeto 0 15.52 b First 13.79 c 0 2.24 c First 2.89 b Simeto 3.55 a Simeto 0 0.17 c First 0.19 a
Simeto 15 17.78 ab Second 17.07 b 15 3.38 b Second 3.41 a Grecale 3.24 b Simeto 15 0.20 b Second 0.18 a
Simeto 30 19.52 a Third 19.14 a 30 4.06 a Third 3.88 a Simeto 30 0.24 a Third 0.19 a
Simeto 45 19.31 a 45 3.90 a Simeto 45 0.24 a
Grecale 0 11.66 c Grecale 0 0.13 d
Grecale 15 15.89 b Grecale 15 0.17 c
Grecale 30 16.98 ab Grecale 30 0.18 c
Grecale 45 16.70 b Grecale 45 0.17 c

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Table 6. Effect of magnetic field, variety and year on yield of durum wheat. Means followed
by the same letter for treatments are not significantly different according to the LSD test.
Yield
Magnetic Year Variety
0 2428.5 b First 2406.3 c Simeto 2729.8 b
15 2941.8 a Second 3332.8 a Grecale 3126.7 a
30 3113.4 a Third 3045.5 b
45 3229.2 a

Figure 1. Effect of magnetic field on α-amylase activity. Means followed by the same letter
are not significantly different according to the LSD test.
b b a
b a
a a
a
a b a a
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
3rd 4th 5th Activity of α-amylase μM glucose gr -1FW min
Days After Sowing Activity of α-amylase
Control
15min
30min
45min

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Figure 2. Multiple regression analysis of Yield, Dry Weight and Leaf Area.

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