In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of magnetic field application on germination rate of tomato seeds, root/stem length, fresh/dry weight and vigor index. For this purpose, seeds of H2274 tomato cultivar (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv.H2274) were used. Static magnetic field of different intensities (7.5 mT, 15 mT and 22.5 mT) was applied for the application of magnetic field. Helmotz coils and power supplies (0-30 Volts) were used to create the magnetic field. Teslameter was used for magnetic field measurements. Tomato seeds were prepared for sowing by washing several times with sterile distilled water after shaking with 3% sodium hypochlorite for 10 minutes. Hoagland aquaculture was used to germinate the plants. The seeds were taken into falcon tubes and imbibed in Hoagland hydroponic culture for 6 hours. Then, seeds were exposed to different static magnetic fields of 7.5 mT, 15 mT and 22.5 mT intensities for 1 hour.

The germination of the seeds was followed for 5 days and the number of germinated seeds was recorded every day. At the end of the 5th day, root and stem lengths and fresh weights were measured. In addition, the samples were kept in an oven at 72 °C for 48 hours for dry weight measurement. The experiments were repeated at least three times. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad 8.0 Prism package program. The highest germination rate was in the control group (no magnetic field applied), while the lowest germination rate was calculated in the 15 mT application. However, no statistical difference was found between germination rates. While stem length decreased significantly in 7.5 mT and 22.5 mT applications (p<0.05), no significant change was observed in 15 mT applications. According to the root length results, although there was an increase in the 15 mT application compared to the control, there was no significant difference. There was no statistical difference in stem and root dry weights. Although there was an increase in stem and root fresh weights in 15 mT applications, no significant difference was observed. According to the Vigor index results, magnetic field applications did not cause a negative result in the plant. As a result, it was determined that the application of 15 mT magnetic field has the potential to positively affect the germination parameters. The diversification of magnetic field intensity and application time is considered as further studies. Keywords: Tomato, Magnetic Field, Germination