Seasonal variation of the effect of extremely diluted agitated gibberellic acid (10-30) on wheat stalk growth - a multi researcher study

Control experiments were performed at different seasons of the year as a follow-up to pilot experiments [1] where a homeopathic high dilution of gibberellic acid had influenced growth in a wheat bio assay (7 days). Grains of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum, Capo variety) were observed under the influence of extremely diluted gibberellic acid (10-30) prepared by stepwise dilution and agitation according to a protocol derived from homeopathy (“G30x”). Analogously prepared water was used for control (“W30x”). Following up on 5 pilot experiments (4 in autumn 2007, 1 in spring 2008), 10 experiments were performed (5 in autumn 2008 or 2009 and 5 in winter 2009 or 2010) with a total of 9 experiments in autumn season (5 researchers, about 9,000 grains), and 6 in winter/spring (4 researchers, about 6,000 grains). Germination rates after 7 days were slightly higher for the autumn experiments (96.1%) than for the winter/spring experiments (94.8%) (p > 0,05), with a non significant trend of more seedlings having germinated in the verum group in the autumn experiments (p > 0,05). All of the 9 autumn experiments (i.e. pilot as well as repetition experiments) showed less stalk growth in the verum group (statistically significant with p < 0.01 in 4, with p < 0.05 in 3 cases, trend in 2 cases). Mean stalk lengths (mm) were 46.97 + 20.50 for the verum group and 50.66 + 19.77 for control (mean + S.D.) at grain level (N = 4,440 per group) and + 3.87 and + 3.38 (+ S.D.) respectively at dish level (217 cohorts of 20 or 25 grains per treatment group). In other words, verum stalk length (92.72%) was 7.28% smaller than control stalk length (100%). The effect size (D means : S.D.), calculated on the basis of dishes, was high (d = 1.02). In contrast, no reliable effect was found in experiments performed in winter/spring (less stalk growth in the verum group in one case, no difference in 2 cases, and more growth in 3 cases). Overall verum stalk length (103.64%) was slightly greater than control stalk length (100%). The effect size, however, was small (d = 0.45). The new data are in line with the 2007 findings, i.e. confirm that gibberellic acid 30x does influence stalk growth.