The effect of externally applied electrostatic fields, microwave radiation and electric currents on plants and other organisms, with special reference to weed control

Diprose, M. F.; Benson, F.A.; Willis, A. J.

doi:10.1007/bf02861092

Cited by 71 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The literature reporting effects ofan applied potential on plant growth has been reviewed (14,15,17,33). Our work confirms previous studies showing that setting the tip at a negative potential is less injurious, or even stimulatory, as compared to placing the tip at a positive potential (11,12).…”

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confidence: 99%

Effect of a Longitudinally Applied Voltage Upon the Growth of Zea mays Seedlings

Desrosiers¹,

Bandurski²

1988

Plant Physiol.

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ABSTRACIThe electrical parameters that affect young seedling growth were investigated. Voltages ranging from 5 to 40 volts were applied longitudinally along the mesocotyl region of 4-day old Zea mays L. (cv Silver Queen) seedlings for periods of 3 or 4 hours. It was determined that: (a) making the tips of the seedlings electrically positive relative to the base strongly inhibited shoot growth at 5 volts, whereas the reverse polarity had no effect; (b) at higher voltages, making the tip of the seedlings negative caused less growth inhibition than the reverse polarity at each voltage level; (c) the higher the applied voltage the greater the degree of inhibition; and, (d) the more growth inhibition experienced by the plants the poorer, and slower, their recovery. Previous observations of a relationship between the amount of free indole-3-acetic acid in the mesocotyl cortex and the growth rate of the mesocotyl and of gravitropism-induced movement of labeled indole-3-acetic acid from the seed to the shoot lead to the prediction of a voltage-dependent gating of the movement of indole-3-acetic acid from the stele to the cortex. This provided the basis for attempting to alter the growth rate of seedlings by means of an applied voltage.This laboratory has developed a working theory to explain how an asymmetric distribution ofsolutes such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), IAA-esters, gibberellins, and calcium is attained in a plant stem following a tropic stimulus (4). The theory presents a mechanism for lateral transport, the central postulate being that solutes are selectively leaked from the vascular tissue into the surrounding cortical tissues through voltage-gated channels (2). The channels, presumably portions ofthe plasmodesmata, would be analogous to the voltage-gated gap junctions of animal tissues (20). There is support for the theory since membrane depolarization is an early event following a tropic stimulus (6, 7), and regulated movement of LAA from stele to cortex has been observed (5). Also, a protein immunologically related to the animal gap junction protein, as well as a voltage-regulated channel (29,34), has been found in plants (28).A prediction of the theory is that an applied potential should affect hormone distribution, and thus, growth. Growth is easier to measure, and, in the case of mesocotyl tissue of Zea mays, may predict the amount of LAA (8,24,32). In this work, we have established the electrical conditions for altering plant growth and for producing sufficient quantities of cortical and stele tissue

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confidence: 99%

Effect of a Longitudinally Applied Voltage Upon the Growth of Zea mays Seedlings

Desrosiers¹,

Bandurski²

1988

Plant Physiol.

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“…S. gigantea appeared to be very sensitive to soil microwave heating compared to D. stramonium and R. × bohemica . This high sensitivity may be related to its small seed size (large size and mass are correlated with high tolerance to heat; Davis et al ; Diprose et al ; Gashaw & Michelsen ). It must, however, be noticed that, for each invasive species, response to soil microwave heating was tested on seeds originating from a single population: the response could thus be population‐specific (Wahid et al ) and not reflect the average response of the species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microwave soil heating reduces seedling emergence of a wide range of species including invasives

Hess

Wilde

Yavercovski

et al. 2018

Restoration Ecology

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A microwave‐based process to control invasive species (seeds and adult stages) in the field prior to plant community restoration is currently under development. We investigated the effect of four microwave treatment pairings of Power × Duration (2kW4min, 4kW2min, 2kW8min, and 4kW4min) on seedling emergence of (1) an abandoned field seed bank used as a model for various plant species and (2) seeds of three species invasive in Europe: Datura stramonium (Jimson weed), Reynoutria × bohemica (Bohemian knotweed), and Solidago gigantea (Giant goldenrod). In addition, we assessed whether nontreated seeds of these three invasive species could germinate on microwave‐treated soils. As microwave soil heating usually leads to nonhomogeneous temperatures within a sample, we also assessed whether the position of seeds in the soil during microwave treatment (center vs. edges) impacted seedling emergence. Results show that the most intensive microwave treatments (2kW8min and 4kW4min), enabling the soil to reach 85°C, are highly effective in inhibiting seedling emergence of invasive species and the seed bank. The 2kW8min treatment, combining lowest power and longest exposure, is the most effective, reducing seed bank seedling emergence by 98% compared to control. The results also reveal a species‐specific response to heat, and lower microwave effectiveness on seeds located at the soil surface, which may explain the incomplete effectiveness of intensive treatments. Our results also suggest that prior microwave soil treatment does not prevent a considerable proportion of newly arrived invasive species seeds from germinating, suggesting that this method should be followed by restoration of native plant cover.

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“…This would be very useful for incrop or spot weed control activities. Microwave energy can also kill the roots and seeds that are buried to a depth of several centimetres in the soil [73,97].…”

Section: Effect Of Microwave Heating On Seeds and Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Microwave Heating in Agricultural and Forestry Related Industries

Brodie¹

2012

The Development and Application of Microwave Heating

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The effect of externally applied electrostatic fields, microwave radiation and electric currents on plants and other organisms, with special reference to weed control

Cited by 71 publications

References 77 publications

Effect of a Longitudinally Applied Voltage Upon the Growth of Zea mays Seedlings

Effect of a Longitudinally Applied Voltage Upon the Growth of Zea mays Seedlings

Microwave soil heating reduces seedling emergence of a wide range of species including invasives

Applications of Microwave Heating in Agricultural and Forestry Related Industries

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