18. Effects of GSM900 Electromagnetic Fields on some Parameters of Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Crop Plants Wheat, Maize and Peas

For some years now the interest in the effects of mobile phones electromagnetic fields (EMF) on plants has been increasing steadily. The results show that plants respond to these EMFs as to a stress factor. Chlorophyll fluorescence is a sensitive and information-rich method for investigation of the effects of weak stressors of the photosynthetic process in vivo and in situ.
The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of different conditions of exposure to GSM900 EMF on some parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence in different crop plants: wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and peas (Pisum sativum L.).
The induction curves of prompt chlorophyll fluorescence were recorded with the fluorimeter Handy PEA (Plant Efficiency Analyser, Hansatech Instruments Ltd, UK). Some parameters of the JIP-test were analyzed.
The observed effects of 900 MHz EMF emitted by mobile phones depended on the plant species, duration of exposure to EMF and time elapsed after the end of exposure. Out of the two species of plants with different mechanisms of CO2 fixation, maize (C4) showed greater sensitivity to 900 MHz EMF compared to wheat (C3) under the investigated exposure conditions.
Dark period exposure to GSM900 EMF, simulating radiation from a base station during rush hours, did not induce stress in pea plants estimated by prompt chlorophyll fluorescence parameters.