Microwave Soil Treatment and Plant Growth

Crop yield gaps can be partially overcome by soil sanitation strategies such as fumigation; however, there are fewer suitable fumigants available in the marketplace and growing concerns about chemical impacts in the environment and human food chain. Therefore, thermal soil sanitation has been considered for some time and microwave soil treatment has some important advantages over other thermal soil sanitation techniques, such as steam treatment. It is also apparent that microwave soil sanitation does not sterilize the soil, but favors beneficial species of soil biota making more nutrients available for better plant growth. From these perspectives, microwave soil treatment may become an important pre-sowing soil sanitation technology for high value cropping systems, allowing agricultural systems to better bridge the crop yield gap

Silicon improves root system and canopy physiology in wheat under drought stress

Aims: Root system is an important regulator for unevenly distributed below-ground resource acquisition. In a rainfed cropping environment, drought stress (DS) significantly restricts root growth and moisture uptake capacity. The fact that silicon (Si) alleviates DS in wheat is widely reported, but its effects on the wheat root system remain unclear. Methods: The present study investigated the effect of pre-sowing Si treatment on two contrasting wheat cultivars (RAC875, drought-tolerant; Kukri, drought-susceptible) at early growth stages. The cultivars were grown in a glasshouse in a complete randomized design with four replications and two watering treatments. Various root traits and physiological data, including non-destructive infrared thermal imaging for water stress indices, were recorded. Results: Under DS and Si (DSSi), Kukri had a significant increase in primary root length (PRL,44%) and lateral root length (LRL,28.1%) compared with RAC875 having a substantial increase in PRL (35.2%), but non-significant in LRL. The Si-induced improvement in the root system positively impacted canopy physiology and significantly enhanced photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration in Kukri and RAC875 under DSSi. Canopy temperature was reduced significantly in Kukri (4.24%) and RAC875 (6.15%) under DSSi, while canopy temperature depression was enhanced significantly in both the cultivars (Kukri,78.6%; RAC875, 58.6%) under DSSi. Conclusion: These results showed that Si has the potential to influence below-ground traits, which regulate the moisture uptake ability of roots for cooler canopy and improved photosynthesis under DS. It also suggests a future direction to investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in wheat’s Si-induced root growth and moisture uptake ability

Microwave Based Weed Control and Soil Treatment

The Yearbook mirrors the annual activities of staff and visiting fellows of the Maimonides Centre and reports on symposia, workshops, and lectures taking place at the Centre. Although aimed at a wider audience, the yearbook also contains academic articles and book reviews on scepticism in Judaism and scepticism in general. Staff, visiting fellows, and other international scholars are invited to contribut

Microwave Based Weed Control and Soil Treatment

Herbicide resistance has become an important constraint on modern agricultural practices. An alarming increase in weed biotypes that are resistant to herbicides has also been reported. Opportunity exists for a novel weed management technology, which is also compatible with no-till agricultural practices. Microwave heating can kill both emerged weed plants and weed seeds in the soil. When the intensity of the microwave fields is moderate, plants, which have already emerged, are susceptible to microwave treatment. If the microwave field is intense enough, very rapid volumetric heating and some thermal runaway in the plant structures cause micro-steam explosions in the plant cells, which rupture the plant structures, leading to death. Soil treatment requires significantly more energy however, there are secondary benefits for crops growing in microwave treated soil. These include: significant reduction of the dormant weed seed bank significant reduction of nematode populations significant reduction of fungal populations better availability of indigenous nitrogen for the plants more rapid humification and significant increases in crop growth and yield. Microwave weed management and soil treatment is not restricted by weather conditions therefore, the technology may offer some timeliness and environmental benefits, which are yet to be quantified in a cropping system

Effectivenes of a microwave fluidised bed dryer in eradication of seed-borne botrytis grey mold of lentil

[EN] A single mode microwave cavity, with a 2.45 GHz microwave source, was modified to have a microwave fluidized bed and its potential to eliminate Botrytis grey mold (BGM) pathogen of lentil seeds was evaluated. Air speed was maintained at a constant value and was just enough to fluidize 100g of red lentil seeds in the sample holder. Two wet-based (w.b.) seed moisture contents (MC) of 10.5% and 18.5% were prepared and the process parameters were selected as air temperature at 50 and 60°C; microwave power at 0, 300, 400 W for 18.5% MC and 0, 400, 500 W for 10.5% MC; and exposure times of 5 and 10 min. The effect of the process parameters on seed moisture loss, seed germination, the electrical conductivity of seed soaking water and the percentage of infected seeds (IS%) were analyzed. The most effective factors on moisture loss, after seed moisture content, was exposure time, followed by microwave power and air temperature. While the final bed temperature was mostly affected by air temperature, and then by microwave power. Furthermore, based on general full factorial regression and Pareto chart of standardized effects, moisture content had a major influence on the reduction of IS%. Seed pathogen inoculum reduction, without significant seed viability loss, was obtained by applying microwave power of 300W and set air temperature of 60°C (actual inlet air temperature of 57±1°C) on seeds with MC of 18.5% for 10 min. This gave a 27% reduction in IS%, from 82% to 55%. Thus, these results showed that applying microwave fluidized bed dryer was able to reduce BGM pathogen in lentil seeds and it could be considered as part of integrated disease managementTaheri, S.; Brodie, G.; Gupta, D. (2019). Effectivenes of a microwave fluidised bed dryer in eradication of seed-borne botrytis grey mold of lentil. En AMPERE 2019. 17th International Conference on Microwave and High Frequency Heating. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 226-237. https://doi.org/10.4995/AMPERE2019.2019.9635OCS22623

Microwave Based Weed Control and Soil Treatment

The Yearbook mirrors the annual activities of staff and visiting fellows of the Maimonides Centre and reports on symposia, workshops, and lectures taking place at the Centre. Although aimed at a wider audience, the yearbook also contains academic articles and book reviews on scepticism in Judaism and scepticism in general. Staff, visiting fellows, and other international scholars are invited to contribut

Heat Uniformity Study and Viability of Red Lentil at Different Seed Moisture Contents after Low-Dose Microwave Treatment

Abstract. Microwave processing has recently gained attention for seed treatment to eradicate pests and pathogens. However, there is a lack of data on the effect of microwave treatment on legume viability, as well as heat uniformity after microwave treatment. To clarify this matter, 50 g of red lentils at four moisture contents (MC) from 9% to 21% wet basis (w.b.) were treated in a microwave oven with full output power of 1100 W (producer information) or 3.33 W g-1 (based on calorimetric method) at power levels of 30%, 40%, and 50% and exposure times of 30 and 60 s. Final temperature distribution was captured using an infrared thermal camera, and absorbed power (W g-1) and energy (J g-1) were calculated using thermal properties of lentil. Lentil viability was negatively affected at absorbed energy higher than 70 J g-1 at any moisture content. For high moisture contents, more than 70 J g-1 were absorbed at power levels of 40% and 50% after 60 s exposure time. However, the viability of dry lentils was not affected after exposure to 50% power for 60 s, which raised the average temperature to 55°C. Germination and vigor of lentil at 21% MC treated with 30% power for 30 s increased by 8.6% and 20%, respectively, and conductivity after two months storage decreased by 15%, which shows the stimulating effect of microwave on lentil seeds. Keywords: Disinfection, Heat uniformity, Legume, Lentil, Microwave, Quality, Seed enhancement, Temperature distribution, Viability.</jats:p