Effect of magnetic field on growth and yield of barley treated with different salinity levels

Abstract

Even though water treatment can be based on several techniques, one new promising process is applying magnetic treatment to water, which can alleviate salinity stress and improve crop productivity. Using magnetic technology in agriculture is considered non-conventional, economical, and eco-friendly. Moreover, it can improve soil and water properties, which in turn can enhance crop and water productivity whether in normal conditions or under salinity stress. The objective of our study is to quantify the impact of the application of this technique on the growth and productivity of barley under different levels of salinity stress. The experiment included two factors: (i) water treatments (i.e., magnetized water; water after pathing through static magnetic unit, 0.5 inch diameter, 0.35 T and non-magnetized water) and (ii) five levels of salinity stress (320, 2000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 ppm). Results indicated that irrigation barley plants with magnetized saline water reduced the harmful effect of salinity stress where the grain yield (g pot−1) increased by 14.75, 14.32, 16.06, 12.97, and 15.85% under 320, 2000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 ppm salinity levels, respectively compared to the irrigated plants with non-magnetized water of the same salinity level. Similar trends were recorded in all tested parameters. The overall results show that magnetized saline irrigation water, even at high salinity, increases barley growth parameters as well as photosynthetic pigments, resulting in an increase in grain yield compared to irrigation with non-magnetized saline water.