Effect of seed treatment by low-frequency electromagnetic field on soybean productivity

Abstract

The development of science and technology introduces new approaches in plant breeding and various methods to increase plant productivity. One of the latest methods is the implementation of an environmentally friendly technique of using a pulsed low-frequency electromagnetic field (PEMP). The paper presents the results of the influence of the electromagnetic stimulation of soybean seeds on grain weight per plant, weight of 1,000 grains and grain yield in different agroecological conditions. In the three-year research, in the period from 2013 to 2015, the soybean variety Valjevka was used, grown with different amounts of fertilizers (control - without fertilization, 750 kg/ha and 1300 kg/ha). Before sowing, the seed was subjected to PEMP stimulation in variants: control - without stimulation and alternating magnetic field stimulation (PEMP) with induction of 30 mT and exposure time of 15 minutes. The average grain weight per plant during seed stimulation was 11.53% (12.09) higher than without PEMP (10.84). The weight of 1,000 grains with PEMP was 155.99 g, which was 2.06% higher than the weight of 1,000 grains of the variant without PEMP (152.83 g). The average soybean grain yield for all three years of research with seed stimulation was 4.85% higher (3,481.25 kg/ha) than without PEMP (3,320.14 kg/ha). Stimulation of seeds with PEMP has economic justification given the growth of soybean prices on the world stock market. The results show that the PEMP treatment of soybean seeds can significantly affect soybean grain yield and counteract side effects such as drought and lack of fertilizers.