Investigation of the effect of non-uniform heat distribution of microwave on the mortality rates of some plants

Abstract

Weeds, cause significant losses in agricultural production and are mostly controlled by herbicides, which are harmful to the environment. An alternative method that can be applied instead of these chemicals that pollute the soil and water is the microwave weed control method. But, one of the main problems with the microwave weed control method is the non-uniform heat distribution. This study aims to investigate the effect of non-uniform heat distribution on the mortality rate in the microwave weed control method by the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) technique. The NDVI technique has been used for the first time in this study to determine the mortality rate in microwave weed control. Mortality rates in one-week germinated Lepidium sativum (cress) and Hordeum vulgare (barley) grasses that were exposed to microwave energy for 10, 20, and 30 seconds were measured. It was determined that a higher rate of mortality occurred in the uniform heat distribution condition, compared to the non-uniform heat distribution (p <0.05). Mortality rates in both Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Lepidium sativum (cress) grasses increased as the microwave application time increased. The highest mortality rate occurred in Lepidium sativum (cress) grass (69.81%) and Hordeum vulgare (barley) grass (61.01%) with uniform heat distribution for 30 seconds. In the non-uniform heat distribution for 10 seconds, an increase was observed in Hordeum vulgare (barley) grass compared to the control group (7.01%). As a result, it can be said that weed control with microwave energy has the potential to be a good “environmentally friendly alternative method” to chemical weed control methods.