Physicochemical and Spectroscopic Characterization of Biofield Energy Treated Gerbera Multiplication Medium

What is it about?

The micropropagation technique is used for Gerbera species due to their high demand all over the world as the decorative potted plants and cut flowers. The present study was done to investigate the impact of biofield energy treatment on the physicochemical properties of gerbera multiplication medium. A part of the sample was treated with Mr. Trivedi’s biofield energy, and the other part was kept as untreated and termed as the control sample. Both the parts were subsequently analysed for their physical, thermal and spectral properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analysis, surface area analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The XRD results showed 13.98% increase in crystallite size of treated sample (104.01 nm) as compared to the control (91.25 nm). The particle size data revealed an increase in d50 (average particle size) and d99 (size below which 99% particles are present) by 72.57% and 42.26%, respectively of the treated sample as compared to the control. Moreover, the surface area of the treated sample was reduced from 0.694 m2/g (control) to 0.560 m2/g in the treated sample. The TGA data showed the increase in onset temperature along with the reduction in the percent weight loss of the treated sample as compared to the control. Besides, the elemental analysis revealed the significant decrease in the percentage of nitrogen (10.47%) and hydrogen (9.35%) as well as the presence of sulphur in the treated sample. The FT-IR results showed the differences in the IR frequencies corresponding to pyridine ring and N-H2 deformation of the treated sample as compared to the control. Hence, the overall data revealed that the biofield energy treatment had a significant impact on the physicochemical properties of the treated sample that might help to improve its uses in the in vitro tissue culture techniques as compared to the control sample.

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Why is it important?

The techniques of plant tissue culture are widely used for producing the clones of plants (micropropagation) in a nutrient culture medium of fixed composition and maintaining the sterile conditions [1]. It is very popular due to its efficacy in producing the complete plant from the cultured cells, tissues, and the mass multiplication of the plants. The micropropagation technique is mainly used for the novel plants and their multiplication from the single explant sample [2]. Gerbera is an elite ornamental species used as the potted plant as well as the cut flower. The flowers of this species are ranked among the top ten cut flowers in the world [3]. The Gerbera species belongs to family Asteraceae and basically found in South Africa. It is also famous in South Africa for its medicinal uses, for instance, tapeworm infections, stomach ache, and cough. Moreover, it is used in heart pain and abdominal pain in Zimbabwe [4]. The Gerbera species is propagated by cuttings and division of clumps; however the method is too slow for its commercial production. Hence, the tissue culture multiplication is used to increase the production as well as the aesthetic value [5]. Gerbera multiplication medium is mainly formulated for in vitro micropropagation of Gerbera. It contains various organic and inorganic compounds (Table 1) that provide different functions [6]. Ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate acts as a source of nitrate. Similarly, L-tyrosine and adenine sulphate serves the purpose of amino acid and growth regulator, respectively. Agar acts to provide the firmness to the base where explants are grown [7]. The in vitro culture techniques inhibit the microbial infections on plant cells and ensure the proper development of plants by providing necessary nutrients and environmental conditions. However, the culture media used in these techniques may pose certain issues related to their stability and shelf-life. For example, the gerbera multiplication medium is highly hygroscopic; hence it requires protection from the atmospheric moisture, thus kept in the refrigerator at 2 to 8°C [8]. Therefore, more studies are running in this field to improve the properties of culture media for getting better results [9]. The objective of this study was to search a cost-effective method for altering the properties of gerbera multiplication medium that can help in improving its functions. The biofield energy treatment is known worldwide for its healing therapies in stress, anxiety and pain related problems [10, 11]. The energy medicines are considered by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)/National Institute of Health (NIH) under complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) [12]. It is based on the putative form of energy that is generated by the human body and present in its surrounding. The living organisms are exchanging this energy from the environment for their health maintenance [13]. The non-living organisms are also reported to possess such energy however up to a limited extent [14]. Mr. Trivedi also possesses a unique biofield energy that is known for its impact on various chemicals [15], microorganisms [16], and plants [17]. His unique biofield energy treatment is also known as The Trivedi Effect®. The biofield energy treatment is harnessing the energy from the environment and transmitting it to any living or non-living object(s) around the Globe. By absorbing this energy, the object responds in a useful way. This process is known as biofield energy treatment. In the present study, the experiments were conducted to analyse the impact of biofield energy treatment on the physicochemical properties of gerbera multiplication medium. The analysis was done using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, particle size analyser, surface area analyser, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy.

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