The Effect of Magnetization of Saline Water on Shoot Biomass, Chlorophyll Content, Total Phenol and Antioxidant Activity in Meadow Sage (Salvia virgata Jacq.)

In order to investigate the effect of magnetized saline water on Meadow sage, a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted in greenhouse conditions in 2021 at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Based on the findings, the salinity (0, 30, and 90 mM of sodium chloride, respectively equivalent to electrical conductivity values of 0, 2.5, 5.25, and 7.88 dS/m) caused a decrease in leaf area, fresh weight of shoot, dry weight of shoot, chlorophyll content and increased specific leaf weight, total phenol, and antioxidant activity. The application of magnetic water (non-magnetic water, 0.6 Tesla half an hour, 0.6 Tesla once, 0.3 Tesla half an hour, and 0.3 Tesla once) reduced the effects of salinity stress on the studied traits. In general, the use of magnetic water increased the fresh weight of the shoot by 34%, the dry weight of the shoot by 45%, the leaf area by 20%, chlorophyll b by 20%, chlorophyll a by 55%, total chlorophyll by 47%, total phenolics by 158%, and antioxidant activity by 12%. According to the obtained results, as the intensity and duration of saltwater magnetization increase, the ability of magnetized water to reduce the destructive effects of salinity increases. The results showed that at high salinity levels, the field intensity of 0.6 Tesla half an hour increases the plant's tolerance to salinity stress. Saltwater magnetization technology might be a promising technique in agriculture, which, of course, needs more extensive studies.