Plant Responses to High Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Abstract

High frequency nonionizing electromagnetic fields (HF-EMF) that are increasingly present in the environment constitute a genuine environmental stimulus able to evoke specific responses in plants that share many similarities with those observed after a stressful treatment. Plants constitute an outstanding model to study such interactions since their architecture (high surface area to volume ratio) optimizes their interaction with the environment. In the present review, after identifying the main exposure devices (transverse and gigahertz electromagnetic cells, wave guide, and mode stirred reverberating chamber) and general physics laws that govern EMF interactions with plants, we illustrate some of the observed responses after exposure to HF-EMF at the cellular, molecular, and whole plant scale. Indeed, numerous metabolic activities (reactive oxygen species metabolism, α- and β-amylase, Krebs cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, chlorophyll content, terpene emission, etc.) are modified, gene expression altered (calmodulin, calcium-dependent protein kinase, and proteinase inhibitor), and growth reduced (stem elongation and dry weight) after low power (i.e., nonthermal) HF-EMF exposure. These changes occur not only in the tissues directly exposed but also systemically in distant tissues. While the long-term impact of these metabolic changes remains largely unknown, we propose to consider nonionizing HF-EMF radiation as a noninjurious, genuine environmental factor that readily evokes changes in plant metabolism.

Health hazards with electromagnetic radiation

“…[51] HF-EMF radiation is noninjurious, but its long-term impact on metabolic changes in plants remains unclear. [52] Ozlem-Caliskan et al investigated the effect of EMF on parasite growth and reported that EMF exposure might decrease in the number of parasites, and EMF has some effect on the growth of parasites which needs to be investigated further. [53] CONCLUSION EMRs are wide applications and commonly used for wireless communication devices such as radio, mobile phones, satellite signals, and also used for diagnostic purposes (e.g., X-rays, gamma rays).…”

Effects of Long‐Term Exposure to Low‐Power 915 MHz Unmodulated Radiation on Phaseolus vulgaris L.

“…Plants are also very sensitive to [Vian et al, 2007], and significantly influenced by, low‐level EMF. Studies have shown various biological effects, including induction of oxidative stress [Stefi et al, 2018] and even modification of gene expressions [Vian et al, 2016].…”

“…Recent literature reviews [Halgamuge, 2016; Vian et al, 2016] point out the different irradiation effects and very specific experimental settings used by each research team. Unfortunately, the large variation in the irradiation parameters (i.e., frequency, modulation, power level, exposure time, and distance from EMF source) makes any comparison between these studies at least questionable.…”

Investigation of the Effects of Radio Frequency Water Treatment on Some Characteristics of Growth in Pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i>) Plants

“…Exposure to radiation influences plant development by affecting the metabolic activities, gene expression and growth related aspects [34] [35] and subsequently, the over growth of the exposed plants. In fact, these changes occur not only in the tissues directly subjected to radiations but also in adjacent tissues [36]. The responses elicited in different plant species depend on both the physical parameters of the radiation source and the status of the biological material such as vegetation stage, pretreatment and environmental conditions [37].…”