Growth promotion and a decrease of oxidative stress in maize seedlings by a combination of geomagnetic and weak electromagnetic fields

• Published in: Journal of plant physiology 2011-07, Vol.168 (10), p.1123-1128
• Main Authors: Hajnorouzi, Abazar, Vaezzadeh, Majid, Ghanati, Faezeh, jamnezhad, Hassan, Nahidian, Bahareh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Calcium - metabolism; Electromagnetic Fields; Ferritin nanoparticles; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geomagnetic field; Germination - physiology; Ion channel; Iron; Iron - metabolism; Iron and steel plants; Magnetic fields; Maize; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Physiology; Plant physiology and development; Plant Roots - growth & development; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plant Shoots - growth & development; Plant Shoots - metabolism; Promotion; Random Allocation; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Respiratory Burst - physiology; Risk; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - metabolism; Seeds; Seeds - growth & development; Seeds - metabolism; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Time Factors; Weak electromagnetic field; Zea mays; Zea mays - enzymology; Zea mays - growth & development; Zea mays - metabolism
• ISSN: 0176-1617; 1618-1328
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2010.12.003

In the present study, we hypothesized that an appropriate combination of a geomagnetic field (as a static field) and an alternative magnetic field may result in the promotion of maize seedling growth by an alleviation of an excess production of reactive oxygen species. First, we determined the applicable range of frequencies by theoretical calculations, and a combined magnetic field was designed. The seeds were germinated in the magnetic field for 4 days, and the seedlings were allowed to grow in a nutrient solution for another 4 days. The magnetic field-treated maize seeds produced seedlings with a faster growth rate than the control seeds. The activity of superoxide dismutase in the magnetic field-treated seedlings was lower, while the total antioxidant capacity of these seedlings was higher than that of the control group. The maintenance of membrane integrity and a decrease of iron content in the magnetic field-treated seedlings suggest that a combination of both static and alternative magnetic fields promotes the growth of the plants by lowering iron absorption, a reduction in the Fenton chemistry, and lowering the risk of oxidative burst.