# Impact of Magnetic Biostimulation and Environmental Conditions on the Agronomic Quality and Bioactive Composition of INIA 601 Purple Maize

## TL;DR

This study shows that magnetic fields can improve the growth and antioxidant properties of purple maize, with potential benefits for agriculture and food industries.

## Contribution

The study introduces magnetic biostimulation as a novel method to enhance the agronomic and bioactive properties of purple maize.

## Key findings

- Magnetic-treated seeds produced longer cobs compared to untreated controls.
- Untreated samples showed higher antioxidant activity than magnetically treated ones.
- Fourteen phenolic compounds were identified, with procyanidin B2 being prominent in the bract and crown.

## Abstract

The utilization of magnetic fields in agricultural contexts has been demonstrated to exert a beneficial effect on various aspects of crop development, including germination, growth, and yield. The present study investigates the impact of magnetic biostimulation on seeds of purple maize (Zea mays L.), variety INIA 601, cultivated in Cajamarca, Peru, with a particular focus on their physical characteristics, yield, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity. The results demonstrated that seeds treated with pulsed (8 mT at 30 Hz for 30 min) and static (50 mT for 30 min) magnetic fields exhibited significantly longer cobs (16.89 and 16.53 cm, respectively) compared with the untreated control (15.79 cm). Furthermore, the application of these magnetic fields resulted in enhanced antioxidant activity in the bract, although the untreated samples exhibited higher values (110.56 µg/mL) compared with the pulsed (91.82 µg/mL) and static (89.61 µg/mL) treatments. The geographical origin of the samples had a significant effect on the physical development and the amount of total phenols, especially the antioxidant activity in the coronet and bract. Furthermore, a total of fourteen phenols were identified in various parts of the purple maize, with procyanidin B2 found in high concentrations in the bract and crown. Conversely, epicatechin, kaempferol, vanillin, and resveratrol were found in lower concentrations. These findings underscore the phenolic diversity of INIA 601 purple maize and its potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries, suggesting that magnetic biostimulation could be an effective tool to improve the nutritional and antioxidant properties of crops.