Contrary to popular myth, an antenna does not radiate one bit better
or worse if it is resonant or not.

With a short antenna the impedance gets to be really low. In the order
of an ohm or so with a typical 2 mhz antenna. The problem is getting
power to the low impedance antenna. Partly because of losses in
matching networks and partly because of ground impedance losses.

If you could get all the power into a 6" short antenna it would
radiate just as well as a full quarter wave length antenna.

The current is not less with a short antenna it is greater. That is
the reason for the higher loss. With a very short antenna the high
current in the antenna also causes losses. The current has to be
greater because the impedance is lower.
Nothing to do with the kind of fields that form around it.

Another myth is that you can change the electrical length of an
antenna by adding loading coils or other means.
Electrical length of an antenna is the same as it's physical length.
Plus a slight amount for propagation delay over it.

The physical length of an antenna IS also it's electrical length. You
can't change that.
What you can change is the matching to that antenna with inductors and
capacitors (or transmission line matching devices) to make the
antennas impedance and reactance match your transmitter.

There is no such thing as making a short antenna "look" like a quarter
wave antenna by adding a coil to it. Example: If you have a physical
1/8 wave length antenna you can not make it into a quarter wave length
antenna "electrically" by adding a loading coil to it. The coil may
serve to help match the antenna to the transmitter but you still have
an 1/8 wave length antenna electrically and physically.

And again: if you can get the same amount of power into the 1/8 wave
length antenna as you can get into a quarter wave length antenna, they
will radiate equally as well.

As far as using an antenna that is a quarter wave length long with a
tuner, you are probably better off with an antenna that is something
other than a quarter wave length as most tuners have a hard time
dealing with resonant antennas.

Regards
Gary