Effect of magnetic treatment on seed germination of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.)

Based on preliminary experiments, the speed of germination (SG) was in general increased for Pinus taeda L. seeds treated with a static magnetic field (B = 150 mT) for 10, 30 and 60 min. Negative impact was obtained for seeds treated with SMF for 24 h and 48 h. Mean germination time (MGT), the SG, and time required to obtain 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of seeds to germinate (T₁₀–T₉₀) were calculated. Results showed a reduction of the MGT and T₁₀–T₉₀ for seeds treated with SMF for 10, 30, and 60 min; therefore, the germination speed was increased. Among various magnetic treatments, loblolly pine seeds treated with S3 (SMF60 min) yielded the peak performance.