Biological Effects of TV Set Electromagnetic Fields on the Growth of Spruce Seedlings

Abstract

On the basis of our previous pilot tests with a TV set we have carried out a series of tests on the growth and germination of spruce seeds, Picea abies, which proved to be susceptible to weak electromagnetic fields: at 35 cm in front of the TV set–E_max 24 V/m, E_max 270 nT at 16 kHz and E_max 800 V/m, E_max 1500 nT at 50 Hz; at 90 cm in front of the TV set–E_max, 0.1 V/m, B_max 14 nT at 16 kHz and E_max 12 V/m, E_max, 100 nT at 50 Hz. Owing to prolonged (pre)imbibition for 2 days (the B system, mild water stress) the effects on the seeds were very conspicuous: the average lengths of radicles were significantly higher (from 27 to 52% at 35 cm, from 16 to 59% at 90 cm) than in the control groups. In 4 experiments with the normally imbibed seeds (the N system) the average lengths were significantly lower (by -20 to -12% at 35 cm, by -19 to -14% at 90 cm) against the control. There were no such differences in two control experiments without the TV set or with the set turned off. The more pronounced effects on the B system indicate that plant seedlings in different physiological states have different susceptibility to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) even to the point of opposite polarity, suggesting that besides power and frequency windows we may also have physiological ones. Otherwise, the effects were more conspicuous at shorter distances with the B system while the N system revealed no such preferences.

Key Words:

• Electromagnetic fields
• Nonionizing radiation
• Stress conditions
• Spruce seeds