Aqueous magnetic liquid influence on Zea mays growth

M. Răcuciu1, D. E. Creangă2, Gh. Călugăru3, I. Horga4

1 “Lucian Blaga” University, Dr. I. Ratiu Street, No.5-7, 550012, Sibiu, mracuciu@yahoo.com
2, Faculty of Physics, “Al. I. Cuza” University, 11A Blvd. Copou, Iasi
3 “Gh. Asachi” University, Physics Department, Bd. D. Mangeron, 68, Iasi
4 ”Spiru Haret”Informatics High School, Suceava, Romania

Caryopsides of Zea mays harvested from a single plant, in order to minimize the genophond variation have been chosen to compose the samples (30 seeds let to germinate on watered paper support in a Petri dish constituted a sample). Germination was conducted in darkness while after germination the young plantlets have been kept in well controlled conditions of temperature (240C), illumination (12 h: 12 h light/dark cycle) and 90% humidity. Experimental variants have been arranged as follows: (i) WLM - variant of samples with culture medium with aqueous ferrofluid supplied to already germinated seeds and (ii) WLM-MF variant of samples with aqueous ferrofluid supplied in the presence of permanent magnets (with pole north in contact with dishes) to already germinated seeds. One magnetic control sample was arranged (one Petri dish with plantlets treated only with distilled water and in presence of a permanent magnet with pole north in contact with sample), also. The permanent magnets have an induction of about 50 mT while the aqueous ferrofluid concentrations were 10 – 50 – 100 – 150 – 200 and 250 microL/L suspended in water by vigorous shaking. The ferrophase was obtained by iron oxides precipitation from auto-catalytic reaction of ferrous and ferric salts in alkali medium. The ferrofluid was constituted by coating the small ferrophase particles with citric acid and further dispersion in water. Ferrofluid treatment was carried out during 15 days of plantlets life, after germination, in order to observe the dynamics of plant length in the presence of the ferrofluid in culture medium with magnetic exposure and without magnetic exposure. After 15 days the total fresh substance mass was weighted as well as the dry substance mass. Individual plant length was measured with 0.1 cm precision while the sample weight was measured with 10-5 g accuracy. Plant drying was carried out at 100 0C in a vacuum oven. Statistic analysis was accomplished by means of average values, standard deviations and t-test (two tails, pair type) with the significance criterion of 0.05. Linear correlations were found to describe the average length dependence on the ferrofluid concentration with and without magnetic exposure. The presence of the magnetic field was found to accelerate the growth rhythm. 

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