Influence of the magnetic field on the characteristics of sandy soil, groundwater, fruit quality, and peach water productivity at different irrigation distances in a desert environment

Abstract

Abstract Enhancing Florida Prince peach cultivars' quality, yield, and fruiting in the face of water scarcity was the aim of this study, which was carried out in 2021 at a private orchard in the Wadi Al Natrun district of the Behera Governorate, Egypt. The effects of magnetic fields (MF) on peach production, the quality of irrigation groundwater, and the properties of irrigated sandy soil in arid environments were also investigated. The study found no discernible differences in the water compatibility standards for irrigation between magnetized water (MW) treated with an MF and non-magnetized water. However, using MW for irrigation greatly improved the productivity and efficiency of using fertilizer and water. When compared to irrigation with non-magnetized water (NMW), this resulted in a significant improvement in peach crop output. The results of the study showed that the amount of soil moisture in the root zone of crops increased significantly when MW irrigation was applied. More precisely within the first 200 m of irrigation from the (MF) device, the moisture content rose from 9.61% in the control treatment to 14.24%. When irrigation was extended from 200 to 400 and 600 m, the amount of moisture in the root zone drastically decreased. This illustrates that the effect of magnetizing irrigation water decreases with increasing distance between the irrigation region and the magnetic device at the field's beginning. Moreover, the results showed that the application of (MW) for irrigation resulted in improvements to the soil chemical properties. Consequently, this resulted in increased accessibility to water and improved uptake of fertilizers, ultimately leading to enhanced growth and production of peach trees as compared to irrigation with NMW. However, additional research is necessary to comprehend the elusive mechanism of the (MF) and transform it into a viable technique for sustainable agriculture.