The Effect of Static Magnetic Forces on Water Contents and Photosynthetic Pigments in Sweet Basil Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae)

Three different magnetic regimes; aerial, surface and buried; each with three different forces, have been used to investigate their effects on the water contents and photosynthetic pigments of sweet basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.). Two groups of sweet basil seeds, Ocimum basilicum L. have been cultivated, one under normal conditions and the second has been subdivided into three portion (aerial, surface and buried) to examine the effect of different magnetic forces coming from the three directions on the resulted plants. At all directions of magnets, water contents have been significantly affected by the magnetic forces. Chlorophyll A and carotene contents have been affected, as well, according to the three magnetic forces coming from soil surface regime only. Chlorophyll B did not significantly affected by differences magnetic forces in the three regimes, but it is affected by magnetism wherever its direction or force. But all the photosynthetic pigments contents (Chlorophyll A, B and Carotenes) decreased significantly than the control in the three magnetic regimes., but without any effect according to differences in the magnetic force in the aerial and burried regimes of magnetism. It was concluded that magnetism affects both water absorption and retention , the most influenced regime was the aerial magnets followed by the surface and buried ones. This result can be interpreted by the ionization of water which makes water ions respond to magnetic forces. Photosynthetic pigments have been decreased significantly by the exposure to magnetic fields, irrespective to its direction or force and this may be due to the effect of magnetic fields on the reduction in plastids inside the cells.