Germination Responses of Fungal Spores to Magnetically Restructured Water

Abstract

The effect of magnetically restructured water was examined on spore germination of some fungi. Restructuring of water was done by exposing the water samples separately to dipoles of a 0.3 T permanent magnet for variable lengths of time. Spore germination of some fungi was observed by mixing the spores in a drop of restructured water samples on separate depression glass slides and incubating the slides for 24 h at 27 ± 2°C. Fungal spores for the present study were obtained from freshly grown cultures of Alternaria alternata, A. carthami, A. mali, A. sesamicola, Aspergillus niger, A. terreus, Fusarium liniand Helminthosporium sativum on potato dextrose Difco powder agar medium. This study reveals that changes in water structure produced by different lengths of exposure by different magnetic poles (of a permanent magnet) differentially inhibit spore germination of various fungi. The varying inhibitory effects of water exposed to different magnetic poles indicates the possible existence of magnetic-pole memory in water.