EFFECTS OF MAGNETIZED WATER ON THE YIELD AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF POPCORN SEEDS
This investigation took place within a see-through garden shed sized at (8.0m � 4.0m � 3.0m), situated behind the Burhanudeen Primary and Secondary Schools in Ojagboro, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. In this experiment, water used for irrigation was subjected to treatment using round bar magnets. The water's average flow rate was 2.92 L/m. Over a 3-day period, water was applied at a rate of 2.0 liters, with 2 plants per bucket. Popcorn seeds of the flint maize variety (Zea mays L everta) were planted in 11-liter buckets filled with soil up to a depth of 180 mm. The study utilized a Complete Randomized Design, comprising three experimental groups and one control group, with each group replicated 10 times. The experimental groups were designated as follows: T1 (treated with eight round bar magnets), T2 (treated with six round bar magnets), T3 (treated with four round bar magnets), and T4 (control group using regular water). An analysis of the soil revealed that it consisted of sandy loam composition, with 63.33% sand, 20% silt, and 16.67% clay. Additionally, the soil contained 4.56% organic matter, 2.65% organic carbon, and had a pH of 7.97. The investigation into nutritional quality demonstrated that compared to the control group irrigated with untreated water, the groups receiving magnetized water displayed higher levels of crude protein (13.33%), ether extract (16.75%), and ash content (1.00%). Conversely, non-magnetized water led to elevated values of crude fiber (2.34%), moisture (12.5%), and nitrogen-free extract (59.30%).
Authors : Abdulsalam, S.K., Adebayo, K.R., Olaoluwa, A.L. and Ajao, F.O.
Category : Open Access Volume (Issue) : 10(2) Date Uploaded : 5th December 2024