Abstract
Different soils were exposed to 2450 MHz microwaves in the laboratory and in the field. The effect of microwave radiation on soil microorganisms was assessed by classical microbiological techniques. It was found that soil bacteria, bacterial spores, actinomycetes, fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and nitrifying bacteria were resistant to 40,000 joules of microwave energy applied to each cm2 of soil surface. Weed seeds exposed to much lower levels of radiation were uniformly inactivated in laboratory and field experiments. Bacteria became susceptible to microwaves when removed from their natural habitat but they were not affected by soil moisture. There appear to be no residual effects of microwaves in the soil and the effects on microorganisms seem to be nonselective except that fungi, as a class, were more susceptible. A “heat shock” activation of bacterial and fungal spores was observed. From the data presented, it is reasonable to assume that microwaves can be used to control field weeds without damage to the soil microorganisms.
Published Version
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