Magnetic Technology and Agricultural Sector
Among the stresses in agricultural sector worldwide, the increase of soil and water salinity is considered the major stress. This is particularly emerging in developing countries like MENA region. The chronic water shortage in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region is a perplexing issue, undoubtedly because various operational sectors. The use of magnetically treated water is an important factor in achieving sustainable development in the agricultural sector. It improves plant production, reduces fertilizer use, and increase water irrigation efficiency, Also, use of magnetically treated irrigation water reduced soil pH but increased soil E C and available P in different plants. From other side, there are some beneficial effect of magnetically treated irrigation water, particularly for saline water and recycled water, on the yield and water productivity of treated plants.
The technology of magnetic water has widely studied and adopted in field of agriculture in many countries, Magnetic technology considered as one of the most promising technologies that can improvement and treated with different problems in the agricultural sector, such as the decrease in quantities of irrigation water, in the same time there are global demands for food due to the expected population increase around the world by 2050 .Where the world’s population will reach about 9 billion people, which will need more food production by about 60 percent of current production to meet the needs of mankind.
Magnetic technology is used in several ways to improve agricultural production like:
- Treating seeds and seedlings, leads to acceleration of plant growth activates proteins formation and root development (Rakosy-Tican et al., 2005).
- or to treat irrigation water
- and saline-affected soils,
which are used to increase seed germination and improve seedling growth and crop productivity, the most widespread use of magnetic technology in agriculture is treatment of irrigation water to increase its efficiency and allow the use of available water sources even low quality water, as well as soil salinity treatment.
Magnetic field changed the characteristics of cell membrane, effected the cell reproduction and caused some changes in cell metabolism.
Magnetic treatment of water improve different water characters, also, improve the vegetative growth and productivity of plants either quality or quantity, the reason of this effect can be searched in the presence of paramagnetic properties in chloroplast which can cause an acceleration of seeds metabolism by magnetic treatment
A magnetic field treatments was shown to induce seed germination, shoot development, fresh weight and plant length, fruit yield per plant and average fruit weight (Abobatta 2015).
Static magnetic fields has positive effects on the metabolism and growth of different plants, Roots seem much more susceptible to the magnetic field than shoots (Kato et al., 1989), from other side Electromagnetic fields can alter plasma membrane structures and functions.
In general , treatments with magnetic field the plant metabolism is changed and it is possible to induce some phenotypic and genotypic effects able to stimulate the plant productivity.
Dr. Waleed Abobatta
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