International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences

| Peer-Reviewed |

Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce

Received: 15 July 2017    Accepted: 28 July 2017    Published: 06 September 2017
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

Drought conditions in the Southwestern U. S. and other parts of the world, the potential future impacts of climate change and politically-charged decisions regarding the allocation of water resources continue to challenge the agricultural community to find ways to successfully grow necessary food crops using less irrigation water. In addition, in many parts of the U. S., high levels of certain salts render ground water supplies unusable for salt-sensitive crops. Salt accumulation in soil and in tissues can also be a problem when water conservation methods are applied. Methods that save water and counteract salt accumulation are needed. Historically, magnetic water treatment (MWT) has shown promise in addressing both concerns though results have been inconsistent and somewhat controversial. This study evaluated the effect of MWT on lettuce yield, photosynthetic activity and nutrient levels under various irrigation reduction regimes. In addition, Watermark soil moisture sensors from Irrometer were used to measure the matric potential of root-depth soil of MWT, and non-MWT plants under those same regimes. Results indicated that statistically significant increases in yield, total chlorophyll and concentrations of some macro and micro-nutrients in plants treated by MWT could be achieved while using significantly less water compared to non-MWT irrigation water. In addition, MWT may also help counteract the effect of harmful sodium buildup in plants when less irrigation water was used.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13
Published in International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 5, September 2017)
Page(s) 117-122
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Magnetic Water Treatment, Agriculture, Crop Yield, Irrigation, Water Treatment

References
[1] Hizayn M and Qados AMSA. 2010. Irrigation with magnetized water enhances growth, chemical constituent and yield of chickpea. Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America. 1 (4): 671-676.
[2] Noran R, Shani U, Lin I. 1996. The effect of irrigation with magnetically treated water on the translocation of minerals in the soil. Magnetic and Electrical Separation. 7: 109-122.
[3] Zlotopolski V. 2017. The Impact of magnetic water treatment on salt distribution in a large unsaturated soil column. International Soil and Water Conservation Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. iswcr.2017.05.009.
[4] Mostafazadeh-Fard B, Khoshravesh M, Mousavi SF, Kiani A R. 2011. Effects of Magnetized Water and Irrigation Water Salinity on Soil Moisture Distribution in Trickle Irrigation. ASCE. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineering. 137 (6): 398-402.
[5] Bogatin J, Bondarenko N, Gak E, Rokhinson E, Ananyev I. 1999. Magnetic Treatment of Irrigation Water: Experimental Results and Application Conditions. Environ. Sci. Technol. 33: 1280-1285.
[6] Krauter P, Harrar J, Orloff K, Bahowick S. 1996. Test of a Magnetic Device for the Amelioration of Scale Formation at Treatment Facility D, Livermore, California.
[7] Sparks DL. 1996. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3. Chemical Methods. Soil Society of America.
[8] Shock CC, Barnum JM, Seddigh M. 1998. Calibration of Watermark soil moisture sensors for irrigation management, pp. 139-146, Proceedings of the International Irrigation Show, San Diego, CA. Irrigation Association.
[9] Standard Operating Procedure 2030. Chlorophyll Determination. 1994 (https://clu-in.org/download/ert/2030-R00.pdf)
[10] Motsara MR. and Roy RN. 2008. Guide to laboratory establishment for plant nutrient analysis. FAO Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin, 19.
[11] Al-Khazan M. M, Abdullatif BM, Nabila Al Assaf. 2011. Effect of magnetically treated water on water status, chlorophyll pigments and some elements content of Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis L.) at different growth stages. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 5 (9): 722-731.
[12] Cho CH, Singh S, Robinson, GW. 1996. Liquid water and biological systems: The most important problem in science that hardly anyone wants to see solved. Faraday Discus. 103: 19-27.
[13] Al-Khazan MM, Abdullatif BM. 2009. Effect of irrigation with magnetized water on growth, photosynthesis pigments and proline accumulation in jojoba [plants (Simmondsia chinensis L.) seedlings. Saudi J. Biol. Sci., 16 (3): 107-113.
[14] Macfie SM, Taylor GJ. 1992. The effect of excess Manganese on Photosynthetic rate and concentration of chlorophyll in Triticum aestivum grown in solution culture. Physiol. Planetarium. 85: 467- 475.
[15] Faten D, Jameel M. 2009. Magnetic Fields Induce Changes in Photosynthetic Pigments Content in Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seedlings. The Open Agriculture Journal, 3: 1-5.
[16] Nasher SH. 2008. The Effect of magnetic water on growth of chickpea seeds. Eng. & Tech. 26 (9): 4 pages.
[17] Oldacay S. and Erdem G. 2002. Evaluation of chlorophyll contents and peroxides activities in I (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes exposed to radiation and magnetic field. Pak. J. of Appl. Sci. 2 (10): 934-937.
[18] Atak C, Emiroglu O, Aklimanoglu S. and Rzakoulieva A. 2003. Stimulation of regeneration by magnetic field in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) tissue cultures. J. Cell Mol. Biol. 2: 113–119.
[19] Gang N, St-Pierre LS, Persinger MA. 2012. Water Dynamics Following Treatment by One Hour 0.16 Tesla Static Magnetic Fields Depends on Exposure Volume. Water. 3: 122-131.
[20] Mahouachi J. 2007. Growth and mineral nutrient content of developing fruit on banana plants (Musa acuminata AAA, ‘Grand Nain’) subjected to water stress and recovery. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology. 82: 839-844.
[21] Restrepo-Diaz H, Benlloch M, Fernández-Escobar R. 2008. Plant water stress and K+ starvation reduce absorption of foliar applied K+ by olive leaves. Scientia Horticulture. 116: 409-413.
[22] Marschner H. 1995. Mineral Nutrition of High Plants (2nd Edn), London Academic Press, London.
[23] Young Cho, Sung-Hyuk Lee. 2005. Reduction in the surface tension of water due to physical water treatment for fouling control in heat exchangers. International Communication in Heat and Mass Transfer 32: 1-9.
[24] Musa Tariq N and Hamoshi Ebaa A. 2012. The Effect of Magnetic Field on The Solubility of NaCl and CaCl2.2H2O at Different Temperature and pH Values. Basrah J. Agric. Sci. 25 (1): 19-26.
[25] Otsuka I, Ozeki S. 2006. Does Magnetic Treatment of Water Change Its Properties? Physical Chemistry B. Letters. 110: 1509-1512.
[26] Yadollahpour A, Rashidi S, Fatemeh K. 2014. Applications of Magnetic Water Technology in Farming and Agriculture Development: A Review of Recent Advances, Current World Environment, 9: 695-703.
[27] Nave CL. 2008. Magnetic Properties of Solids. Hyper Phys. 15: 11-23.
Author Information
  • United Research Labs, San Marcos, USA

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Vladimir Zlotopolski. (2017). Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 3(5), 117-122. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Vladimir Zlotopolski. Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2017, 3(5), 117-122. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Vladimir Zlotopolski. Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2017;3(5):117-122. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13,
      author = {Vladimir Zlotopolski},
      title = {Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce},
      journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
      volume = {3},
      number = {5},
      pages = {117-122},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20170305.13},
      abstract = {Drought conditions in the Southwestern U. S. and other parts of the world, the potential future impacts of climate change and politically-charged decisions regarding the allocation of water resources continue to challenge the agricultural community to find ways to successfully grow necessary food crops using less irrigation water. In addition, in many parts of the U. S., high levels of certain salts render ground water supplies unusable for salt-sensitive crops. Salt accumulation in soil and in tissues can also be a problem when water conservation methods are applied. Methods that save water and counteract salt accumulation are needed. Historically, magnetic water treatment (MWT) has shown promise in addressing both concerns though results have been inconsistent and somewhat controversial. This study evaluated the effect of MWT on lettuce yield, photosynthetic activity and nutrient levels under various irrigation reduction regimes. In addition, Watermark soil moisture sensors from Irrometer were used to measure the matric potential of root-depth soil of MWT, and non-MWT plants under those same regimes. Results indicated that statistically significant increases in yield, total chlorophyll and concentrations of some macro and micro-nutrients in plants treated by MWT could be achieved while using significantly less water compared to non-MWT irrigation water. In addition, MWT may also help counteract the effect of harmful sodium buildup in plants when less irrigation water was used.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Magnetic Treatment Reduces Water Usage in Irrigation Without Negatively Impacting Yield, Photosynthesis and Nutrient Uptake in Lettuce
    AU  - Vladimir Zlotopolski
    Y1  - 2017/09/06
    PY  - 2017
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13
    T2  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
    JF  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
    JO  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
    SP  - 117
    EP  - 122
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2469-7885
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20170305.13
    AB  - Drought conditions in the Southwestern U. S. and other parts of the world, the potential future impacts of climate change and politically-charged decisions regarding the allocation of water resources continue to challenge the agricultural community to find ways to successfully grow necessary food crops using less irrigation water. In addition, in many parts of the U. S., high levels of certain salts render ground water supplies unusable for salt-sensitive crops. Salt accumulation in soil and in tissues can also be a problem when water conservation methods are applied. Methods that save water and counteract salt accumulation are needed. Historically, magnetic water treatment (MWT) has shown promise in addressing both concerns though results have been inconsistent and somewhat controversial. This study evaluated the effect of MWT on lettuce yield, photosynthetic activity and nutrient levels under various irrigation reduction regimes. In addition, Watermark soil moisture sensors from Irrometer were used to measure the matric potential of root-depth soil of MWT, and non-MWT plants under those same regimes. Results indicated that statistically significant increases in yield, total chlorophyll and concentrations of some macro and micro-nutrients in plants treated by MWT could be achieved while using significantly less water compared to non-MWT irrigation water. In addition, MWT may also help counteract the effect of harmful sodium buildup in plants when less irrigation water was used.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections