EFFECT OF PRE-SOWING MAGNETIC TREATMENT OF MAIZE SEEDS ON ITS PRODUCTIVITY AND ON SOME SOIL PROPERTIES

This work aims to study the effects of pre-sowing magnetic treatments of maize seeds (Zea mays L.) cultivar Triple hybrid 310 on its productivity and on some soil properties under different levels of mineral N-P-K fertilizers. A field experiment was conducted at a private farm at El-Menoufia Governorate, Egypt during two successive summer seasons (2020 and 2021) in a split plot design with three replicates. The main plots were the time of magnetic treatment of seeds (control, 5 min., 10 min. and 15 min.), while the sub-plots were the application rates of N-P-K fertilizers (50, 75 and 100% of recommended doses). The results showed that using magnetic treatments of seeds were better compared to the control treatments, it significantly increased the contents of N, P and K in plant and soil as well as total yield of maize, while reduced the soil pH and EC values. Also there were a relative increases by 3.98 , 15.89 and 23.37% for plant height (cm), 9.84 , 22.92 and 49.94% for weight of 100 grains, 16.51 , 36.79 and 50.94% for weight of ear yield (ton/fed), 20.14 , 40.96 and 54.26 % for straw yield (ton/fed) and 40.41 , 44.52 and 51.37% for grains yield (ton/fed), respectively for seeds treated with magnetic field for 5 min., 10 min. and 15 min., respectively, as compared to control. Also, there were significant differences in the values of yield parameters between the rates of fertilizers application (50 , 75 and 100% of recommended doses). Therefore, it can categorize the beneficial effects of the used magnetic field into different orders according the increases in maize yield parameters, as follows: 15 min. >10 min. > 5 min. > control.