Effect of homeopathy on soybean germination through soil and seed treatment

Homeopathy is a technique approved by the MAPA for organic production systems. Experiments demonstrating the effectiveness of homeopathy in agriculture are essential. Aims: To evaluate the effects of homeopathic treatment on soybean seed germination. Methodology: The experiment was performed in MS-Brazil. An area of 70 m² was used, divided into two comparison plots of 30 m² each. The soil of plot 1 (treated group) was treated with 5.25 kg of powdered Lithothamniummixed with 250 ml of 30% hydroalcoholic solution (HS) containing homeopathic ingredients. The soil of plot 2 (control group) was treated with thesame preparationbutwithout homeopathic ingredients. Additionally, the 400 seeds assigned toplot 1 were treated with 0,3 ml of a solution made up of 10 ml of 30% HS with homeopathic ingredients dilutedin 300 ml of water. The 400 seeds assigned toplot 2 were treated with 0.3 ml of a solutionmade up of 10 ml of HS without homeopathic ingredients diluted in 300 ml of water. The homeopathic ingredients Sulph 9C, Mag-c12C, and Calc-p 9C were used on soil and seed treatment. The selection and prescription of those ingredients followed Materia Medica instructions. The experiment was conducted using randomized design and 400 seeds per group were sown. Results and discussion: In plot 1, anaverage of 11 seeds per m² germinated, adding up to 330 germinated seeds at a percentage of 82.5%. In plot 2, an average of 7 seeds per m² germinated, adding up to 210 germinated seeds at a percentage of 52.5%. The frequency of seed germinationin both groups was assessed by the Chi-square test to check for significant differences(p<0.05). There was a statistical difference (p<0.05) in the seed germination in the treated group (n=330) compared to the control group (n=210). Conclusion:Homeopathic compounds can be used as a viable treatment for soybean germination.

Effect of homeopathy on quality of corncobs naturally exposed to sugarcane virus

The use of pesticides is damaging to the health of farmers and consumers as their use is associated with numerous diseases. Homeopathy is one of the techniques for organic agriculture currentlyauthorized by the MAPA. Aims: To assess the effect of homeopathic compounds on corncob quality in pesticide-free cultures. Methodology:The experiment was performed in, MS-Brazil. Two culture fields were used, each 30m2in size. The homeopathic group treatment consisted of 1ml of30% hydroalcoholic solution with homeopathic ingredients. This solutionwas diluted into 30ml of water and then sprayed onto 100 seeds. The control group was submitted to the same protocol excluding the homeopathic ingredients. The homeopathic ingredients used were Sulph9C, Mag-c12C, and Calc-p9C, prescribed according to Materia Medica instructions. The evaluationwas performed at harvest by comparing theaverage weight of 1000 kernels pergroup, obtained from a weighingof 3000 kernels per group. In addition, a number of corncobs from both groups werequalitatively evaluated as "good" or "bad." Statistics analysis used the T-test to compare the kernel weight averages and Fisher's exact test to analyze the corncob quality frequency. Both groups were naturally infected by a virus from a neighboring sugarcane field, causing qualitative and quantitative losses on both groups. Results and discussion: The average weight of 1000 kernels from the treated group (329 g) was not significantly greater (p=0.06) than the average weight of 1000 kernels from the non-treated group (308 g). It was observed that 71out of 158 (44.9%) corncobs from the homeopathic treatment group were classified as "good" while zero outof 50 (0%) corncobs from the non-treated group were classified as "good", resulting in a significant difference (p<0.01). Conclusion: Homeopathic compounds can be used as a feasible treatment for health and productivity in the corn crop.