DESIGN, SIMULATION, AND EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATORS FOR IN VITRO

Çankaya H., Kahriman M., Coşkun Ö.

International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Research, cilt.7, sa.2, ss.153-164, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

Electromagnetic exposures can modulate plant germination, growth, and metabolism, yet electric-field effects remain comparatively underexplored due to the scarcity of well-characterized exposure systems. This study presents the design and basic characterization of modular, benchtop sources that independently or jointly deliver controlled electric (E) and magnetic (B) fields for in vitro plant experiments. An electric-field module based on parallel plates (20 × 20 cm) with a 15 cm spacing provides approximately E ≈ 100 V/m using a 15 V supply, while a coil-based magnetic module (10 cm outer diameter, 250 turns, 0.5 mm enamelled wire) produces B ≈ 5 mT at the Petri-dish plane under 12 V excitation.


Magnetic-field distributions were obtained via ANSYS simulations on planes 15, 20, and 25 mm above the coil and verified qualitatively by laboratory measurements, confirming a practically homogeneous region at the target height. For the electric module, central-field measurements indicated good agreement with E = V/d, with fringing effects minimized by plate sizing and central placement of the sample. The setup demonstrated stable operation over typical exposure durations, with manageable thermal behavior of the coil.


The resulting platform enables reproducible E-only, B-only, and combined E + B exposures, supporting dose–response and mechanism-oriented studies on cultivar-dependent plant responses. The design is readily scalable (e.g., higher B via turns/current; improved homogeneity via Helmholtz pairs or guard electrodes) and amenable to closed-loop control. Overall, the system provides an accessible, well-defined electromagnetic exposure infrastructure to facilitate rigorous in vitro plant research.