Magnetic Field Treatment in Barley: Improved Salt Tolerance in Early Stages of Development

Abstract

It is known that salinity is one of the most important abiotic stress factors reducing productivity in agriculture. High salt concentration has a negative effect on seed germination and seedling formation. Magnetic field treatment can be considered as an environmentally friendly, innovative and inexpensive method to increase tolerance to stress, as a productivity-enhancing factor in agriculture. In this study, germination rate, germination strength, shoot and root length, fresh and dry weights, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content and ion leakage values of three different barley varieties under the influence of 150 mT constant magnetic field at different time intervals were determined. In light of the results, it was determined that although it varies according to the barley varieties, it has a significant positive effect on the germination rate and strength depending on the duration of the applied magnetic field. This study revealed that the magnetic field seed treatment has different effects according to the treatment time and the severity of the salt stress.