An assessment of the application of magnetic fields in the study of in vitro plant cell and tissue cultivation

Abstract

The magnetic field can affect the structure, physiology and biochemistry of plants. The use of magnetic fields on cultured plant cells and tissues is a proven fact. The system to deliver magnetic flux is very important. Experiments have been performed by directly placing cultures in the vicinity of the magnetic field from a permanent magnetic source. Such a system delivered a fixed magnetic strength. Electric magnets are a better mode to deliver magnetic field to plants because it is easy to deliver tailor-made magnetic exposure. Majority of such studies utilized a magnetic field in the order of milliteslas, some of them utilized a high magnetic field upto 17.8 Tesla. The experiments also utilized varying exposure times and differential exposure to the north or south pole. Such studies reported either an increase or decrease of many parameters such as cell size, shape, metabolite content, chlorophyll content and enzyme activity. Most of the studies discussing magnetotropism on plants utilized seeds or intact plants to find out the effect of magnetic fields on plants. Such studies also give some understanding of the mechanism of action. Using a plant cell culture system, it is possible to grow single cells and small cell aggregates. Therefore, in vitro systems offer an excellent tool to understand the mechanism of action at the cellular level.