The Effects of Neodymium and Ceramic Magnets on the Germination and Growth Rate of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) in Ex-vitro Conditions

Abstract

A magnetic field (MF) is the magnetic effect of an electric current or magnetic material and it can be measured in Tesla (T) or Gauss. In the sixteenth century, scientists observed that magnets could influence plant growth. From that point onward, various experiments have been conducted and results have shown that different strengths in MFs have displayed different morphological and genetic characteristics in different plant species. In some, the effect is growth retardation while others show significant growth. Thus, the main objective of this study was to determine the effects of the MFs from both neodymium and ceramic magnets on the germination and growth rate of coriander seeds. In this experiment, seeds were planted around the magnets three (3) cm away. Three different magnetic fields from both neodymium magnets and ceramic magnets were used. The polarity was also studied where some seeds were subjected to the north pole pointing upwards and others the south pole pointing upwards. Results from the experiments showed that the type of magnets, the strength of the magnetic field and the polarity do influence the germination, and growth rate of coriander. The influence was significant when compared to the control which were seeds sown under the influence of the Earth’s Geomagnetic field (GMF) only where all plants grow. This research showed that neodymium magnets had a more positive effect on the growth rate than ceramic magnets. It also proved that the low and medium strengths neodymium magnets with the south pole pointing upwards produced the best growth with significant differences to the other treatments.