A Helmholtz Coil with a large usable area of uniform field was designed, constructed and characterized, specifically for Bioelectrics studies. The Helmholtz coil was designed for use with both AC and DC power sources. The design and analysis of the coil were carried out through experiments and the use of industry standard electromagnetic software suite. MATLAB was also used in the simulation studies. The location and the area that would have uniform field intensity were determined through simulation and compared with measurements. Analyses show a large area uniform field can be created along the axis of the two coils which makes the usable area about approximately one third the coil internal volume.

The effects of magnetic fields on soybean germination rate were studied using the lab designed Helmholtz coil. A specific soybean variety, code named Magellan, was used because of its potential application as a renewable energy resource, specifically for use in producing biofuels. Magellan was chosen because in previous studies it was shown that this variety, amongst four others, showed promise in germination rate improvement as compared to other varieties. Experimental results indicate that presoaked soybean seeds when treated under static low intensity and extremely low frequency magnetic fields show improved growth and germination rates when compared to those grown under earth’s geomagnetic fields. The extreme-low-frequency (ELF) AC magnetic field is more conducive to Soybean germination compared to the static magnetic field. Maximum germination rate, which was 18% higher than control rate, was obtained at around 14 Gauss, 60 Hz. An alternating magnetic field of 60 Hz was shown to have a statistically significant effect on soybean seed germination. Results have also shown that magnetic fields influence soybean germination more than electromagnetic fields from an anechoic chamber and a TEM cell.

The magnetic field may provide a feasible non-chemical solution in agriculture, and thus offers advantages over chemical methods in terms of environment protection and safety for the applicator. The increased germination rate of soybean means that the soybean can be projected as alternative fuel source as well as for the growing global need for this ‘miracle crop’. For improving the crops yield using clean technology of magnetic field exposure it is necessary to determine, at the seed and cellular level how the seeds are altered when treated in the magnetic field. Further study is needed to determine at the molecular level the main reason for this phenomenon.