Introduction: (Initial Observation)

Some people believe magnets have therapeutic effects and can be used for pain-relief. Some also believe that magnets can affect seeds and plants.

Many studies have been performed on plants and some researches have suggested that plants have feelings, can think, and can recognize people. Many of such suggestions are controversial and are not widely accepted by scientific community.

The effect of magnet on seed germination and plant growth is one of the suggestions that can easily be studied by students as a science project.

Project plan:

Find the history of magnetism and its uses, especially any possible use of magnets in relation to plants and animals for therapeutic effects or biological effects.

Devise an experiment to test the effect of magnetism on seeds.

Variations of this project:

In this project we will expose seeds to strong magnets prior to planting; however, you may want to modify this project and plant the seeds in a strong magnetic field to see how it may affect the seed germination and plant growth. I have also seen claims that exposing water to magnet (magnetizing! water!) before irrigation affects plant growth.

Information Gathering:

Find out about magnets and their applications. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the therapeutic effect of magnets or the effect of magnetism on live organisms. Search the Internet for terms such as paramagnetic, biomagnetic, Magnet Therapy. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information you may find:

Magnetic Treatment of Seeds

The potential energy of self-preservation in seeds differs at different stages of development. During the harvest collection, seeds also contain different energy levels, and not all planted seeds will grow. That is the reason for an increase of the sowing norm, which is taken to the maximum amount of grown seeds for a hectare. Therefore, it results in the excess of costly seed material being used.

Our magnetic treatment of seeds before sowing allows spending 30-50% less on the seed as germination rates are increased substantially. Also, this treatment provides an earlier ripening of the harvest.

Seeds, which are treated using magnetic system, grow faster. The property of magneticism speeds can up protein formation, providing for the growth of roots and activating growth processes in weak seeds.

Application magnetism has shown a considerable decrease in the ripening time and an increase in the quality of vegetables, fruits and cereals, allowed for an increase of harvest by 12-36%, and in some cases up to 100% and more.

Source…

I have heard of many studies done on the magnetic fields and their effect on the living cells and until this day I have not heard of one which conclusively illustrates that magnetic fields affect plant growth. However, most of the studies which I am referring to have used magnetic fields which were of the similar magnitude to those found in the NATURAL environment. There are magnetic fields strong enough to do great damage not only to living cells, but to metal cars! There were also studies which argued that plant growth CAN be affected by the (larger than natural) magnetic fields and that certain magnitudes inhibit while others stimulate growth. There was one discovery which was made by David Reed (researcher at Michigan’s Technological University) that uncovered that the trunks of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and red maple (Acer rubrum) trees grew wider and the trunk of red pine grew taller near a 55-mile long naval communications antenna. Ironically, the growth of other species was not affected. So is the effect of magnetic fields related to the genes of a certain species of plants or was this finding just a coincidence which made it seem so?? Reed’s findings were interesting, but nevertheless not conclusive. There was also another study done (for which unfortunately I do not have a reference) on the seeds of Brassica rapa (mustard family) and it was reported that the seeds exposed to magnetic fields were all deformed, while the control was normal( EMF, in this case, being of great magnitude). It was also reported that there was no effect on the early development, while later the deformation of the plants became very obvious. It is possible that the magnetic fields affected the ions of such crucial organismal mechanisms as the hydrogen pump (which produces ATP) and possibly the conformation of some proteins (including very important enzymes). Remember that protein configuration is extremely important to their function and once changed, their role in the development of the plant is either altered or completely deleted. Considering all this it seems possible that continuous exposure to the magnetic field could also cause mutations (alterations in nucleotide sequence of DNA that codes for genes and proteins) and, in turn, evolution. But all of this is very ambiguous right now and needs much more research. To conclude, I will tell you that in my opinion, magnetic fields of “normal” (not exceedingly large) magnitudes, generally do no damage to the plants. It is very likely that high level of EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) might bring harm or even death to some plants. But this is not any different from the general rule which we see in nature: extremes are very bad for most living organisms. Even too much water will inevitably cause the plant to die. However, many factors have to be considered. The species of the plant, the magnitude of EMF, the combination of environmental factors and how long you allow for your experiment to go on can all affect the outcome. Remember that when you do your experiment. I do not think that a common magnet (especially in only two weeks) will generate enough force to have any effect on your seeds or any biological system, but it is just a hypothesis…it is possible that I am wrong! Well, I hope this is of at least some help to you! Good luck with your project!

Source…

Germination: Germination is the process of emergence of growth from a resting stage like the sprouting of a seedling from a seed.

Germination rate: Germination rate is the number of seeds that sprout divided by the total number of seeds planted. For example of you plant 100 seeds and only 93 of them sprout, then the germination rate is 0.93 or 93%.

Question/ Purpose:

What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use your observations and questions to write the statement.

The purpose of this project is to see if a strong magnetic field affect the seeds, their germination rate and growth rate.

question:

Does magnetizing seeds before planting affect the growth?

Identify Variables:

When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one at a time. If you change more than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing your observation. Sometimes variables are linked and work together to cause something. At first, try to choose variables that you think act independently of each other.

Independent variable (also known as manipulated variable) is the exposure time to a strong magnetic field.

Dependent variables (also known as responding variable) are the germination rate and the growth rate.

Constants are the type of seeds, amount of water, light, temperature and other germination and growth conditions.

Hypothesis:

Based on your gathered information, make an educated guess about what types of things affect the system you are working with. Identifying variables is necessary before you can make a hypothesis.

This is a sample hypothesis:

Magnetizing seeds or exposing seeds to a strong magnetic field before planting has no affect on the rate of germination or plant growth. Claims related to the effect of magnetizing on increasing the germination rate and plant growth are false. My hypothesis is based on my gathered information and my common sense.

This is another sample hypothesis:

Magnetizing seeds or exposing seeds to a strong magnetic field before planting does affect the rate of germination or plant growth. Electrons that are present in all molecules of all substances are sensitive to magnetic forces. This is the principle of how a television works. Push or pull of electrons can potentially cause changes in the development of seeds. I believe more effects can be expected if the seeds germinate inside a magnetic field. My hypothesis is based on my gathered information and information provided by the makers of magnetic devices.

Experiment Design:

Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it must have a “control.” A control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral “reference point” for comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a “controlled experiment.”

Experiment 1: Does magnetizing seeds before planting affect the rate of germination and plant growth?

Introduction:

In this experiment you will expose different groups of seeds to strong magnetic field for different amounts of time. You will then grow each group separately away from any strong magnetic field and compare the rate of germination and plant growth.

Materials:

• 20 Petri-dishes
• Green Lentil seeds (1 Lbs from grocery store)
• Water
• Light source (Optional. Needed if you don’t have access to sufficient natural light)
• Plastic or metal forceps
• Measuring cup or measuring cylinder
• Super magnet (Strong Neodymium magnet)
• Portable fluorescent light fixture and extension cord. (This is needed only if the amount of natural light is not enough where you do your experiment. More light is better. In cloudy and short winter days I suggest to use fluorescent light in addition to the natural light. Leave on the light 24 hours a day.)
• You do not seed any soil. Seeds have a stored nutrients that is enough for your short term experiment.

Warning:

Do not touch the seeds by hand. The oil and bacteria from hand may cause infection and affect the results. Handle seeds using forceps or a small spoon.

Caution:

Super magnets are extremely dangerous. The attraction force between two magnets is high enough to pinch/ squeeze your skin and cause serous injury. They must be handled by adults

Procedure:

1. Label five petri-dishes with 0, 1m, 1h, 6h and 24h. Numbers indicate the period of time each group will be exposed to strong magnetic field. (m=minute, h=hour)
2. Place 100 lentils (or any other seeds of your choice) in each petri-dish
3. Keep the petri dish labeled 0 away from any magnet. This will be your control.
4. Place the petri dish labeled 1m over a super magnet disk for one minute.
5. Place the petri dish labeled 1h over a super magnet disk for one hour.
6. Place the petri dish labeled 6h over a super magnet disk for 6 hours.
7. Place the petri dish labeled 24h over a super magnet disk for 24 hours.
8. For this experiment you will need 4 super strong magnets so you can start magnet exposure at the same time. If you only have one super-magnet, start with the petri dish labeled 24h. Keep the super magnet on that for 24 hours. Then continue with dishs 6h and 1h and 1m. In this way there will not be a long gap between the magnetization and soaking the seeds in the next step. If you have four super-magnets, first place the 24h on one of the magnets; after 18 hours, place the 6h on the second magnet, after another 5 hours place the 1h over the third magnet and at the last minute place the 1m over the fourth super-magnet. In this way all groups will be ready for the next step at the same time.
9. Add same amount of water to each petri-dish. Make sure all the seeds are covered by water. Cover the petri-dishes with their lid or any clear plastic to preserve the moisture and prevent quick evaporation of water. At this time seeds do not need any light and room temperature is ideal for them. (Soaking seeds in the first 24 hour is OK; however, after the first 24 hours, seeds just need moisture. They don’t have to be soaked all the time.)
10. (24 hours after soaking) Cut circles of paper towels with the same diameter as the petri-dishes. Place one paper-towel circle over each petri-dish and add same amount of water to all dishes so that small amount of water remain at the bottom of each petri-dish and the paper towel circle stays wet. This condition will provide the moisture and the air seeds need to germinate and grow.
11. Continue daily observations and adding water until the seeds germinate (3 to 5 days). At this time seeds also need light. You don’t have to remove the paper-towel. Light will pass through it easily. If you don’t have enough natural light, place the petri dishes under a fluorescent light bulb. Light bulb may stay about 35 to 50 centimeters (12 to 18 inches) above the petri-dishes.
12. After a few days green leaves of the young plants will push the paper-towels up. At that time you may remove the paper towels. The entangled new roots can absorb water from the bottom of the dish and hold enough moisture.
13. After about 3 weeks from the day you soaked the seeds, you will be able to stop your experiment and make your final observation and recording. For each group count the number of seeds that germinated. Also measure the average root length and shoot length in each group. To do this you must carefully remove each seedling and place it stretched on a cardboard and use a ruler to measure the length of the root and the length of the stem. After you measure the root length and stem length of all seedlings in each group, calculate the average length for roots and average length for stems in each group. Write your results in a table like this:

Effect of magnetizing on seed germination and growth:

Additional notes:

• When you conduct your experiment, do not forget the factors other than the magnetic field which could easily influence the growth of your plant. All of the environmental factors listed above have to be maintained equal (more or less) among all of your plants of the same species (obviously different plant species have different requirements and you should find out the specifics on your own).
• Make sure that they all receive equal amounts of light (one of them is not partially in the shade…), water and air.
• Air levels usually have to do with how deep your seed is in the soil; however, since you are not using soil, air level has to do with how much water is around each seed. When the seeds are soaked in water, they don’t have access to the air. That is why you add small amounts of water so the seeds will have access to water and air at the same time.
• The temperature you probably need not worry about since I think that room temperature will work well for your seeds. A warmer room is better.
• Also, do not forget to set up a control for your experiment, which would be seeds not exposed to the magnetic field, but which should be cared for the exact same way.

Materials and Equipment:

The list of materials may be extracted from the experiment section.

Image in the right shows super strong (N35) disk magnets with outer diameter of 0.5 inch and thickness of 0.125 inch from  MiniScience.com.

Results of Experiment (Observation):

Experiments are often done in series. A series of experiments can be done by changing one variable a different amount each time. A series of experiments is made up of separate experimental “runs.” During each run you make a measurement of how much the variable affected the system under study. For each run, a different amount of change in the variable is used. This produces a different amount of response in the system. You measure this response, or record data, in a table for this purpose. This is considered “raw data” since it has not been processed or interpreted yet. When raw data gets processed mathematically, for example, it becomes results.

Calculations:

You will need to calculate the average length of the roots and average length of the shoots in each group.

Summary of Results:

Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data, or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations. Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:

Using the trends in your experimental data and your experimental observations, try to answer your original questions. Is your hypothesis correct? Now is the time to pull together what happened, and assess the experiments you did.

Related Questions & Answers:

What you have learned may allow you to answer other questions. Many questions are related. Several new questions may have occurred to you while doing experiments. You may now be able to understand or verify things that you discovered when gathering information for the project. Questions lead to more questions, which lead to additional hypothesis that need to be tested.

Possible Errors:

If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer of an experiment can miss the obvious.

References:

List of References

The Secret Life of Plants

Some Books related to the effects of magnetism

A sample science project

http://www.soulinvitation.com/germination/

http://skepdic.com/magnetic.html

Another Sample Project

http://www.wholly-water.com/magnetizer/plant.htm

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/15may_maggrav.htm

1. Effects of 76Hz Electromagnetic Fields on Tree Growth (Meeting Abstract) Reed, David, et al; School of Forestry and Wood Products, Michigan Technological University Annual Review of Research on Biological Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields from the Generation, Delivery and Use of Electricity, 31 October to 4 November, Savannah, GA, US Dept. of Energy, p. 42-43, 1993
2. Amplification, by Pulsed Electromagnetic fields, of Plant Growth Regulator Induced Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase During Differentiation in Suspension Cultured Plant Cells. Jones, D.B.; Bolwell, G.P.; Gilliatt, G.J.J. of Bioelctr 5(1): 1-12, 1986
3. Perturbations of Plant Leaflet Rhythms Caused by Electromagnetic Radio- Frequency Radiation. Ellingsrud, S.; Johnson, A. Bioelectromagnetics 14(3): 257-271, 1993
4. Davies, Peter J: Plant Hormones and Their Role in Plant Growth and Development, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Boston, MA 1987
5. The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

Sample Abstract

Objectives/Goals

To determine the effect magnetic fields have on the growth of plants.

Methods/Materials

Start with 30 Styrofoam cups and place five holes in the bottom of each cup for water drainage. Fill each cup with a mixture of potting soil and dirt. Soak each cup with water. Separate the cups into groups of ten making three separate groups. The control group of cups is magnet free. In Group A place (2) 60 grade A cow magnets on each side of cup far enough apart that they won’t stick to each other. In Group B place (4) 60 grade A cow magnets one on top of the other on each side of cup, again making sure they do not stick to each other. Separate each group so magnetic fields will not interfere with control group or interact with Group A and B. Place four radish seeds in each cup and water each plant with 250 ml of water each day. As plants grow log and chart daily the number of leaves, the length of stems and width of stems. At four weeks remove plants carefully so as to include roots and dry each group of plants and weighing daily until the weight stays the same.

Results

Analysis of all data by use of graphs failed to conclusively prove that the hypothesis was correct. Some data, number of leaves and dried weight, showed a trend to larger plants in the B group. Other factors such as rate of growth and smaller weights as plants dried out did affect the results. Overall it seemed the experiment with EMF’s did not effect plant growth in a positive way. In general, the hypothesis was not proven.

Conclusions/Discussion

Interpretation of the data show in general magnetic fields (EMF) did not affect the plant growth. Both stem height and leaf width was inconclusive. The number of leaves and dried weight showed stronger growth in the B group. Overall the experiment concluded that the magnetic fields did not affect plant growth as expected.