MICROWAVES HEAT THE SOIL TO ELIMINATE PESTS AND HELP FARMERS MANAGE

SOIL DISEASES
By National Research Council of Science and Technology

Newswise — A research team led by Dr. Sunshin Jung at the Korea Electrotechnology Research
Institute (KERI) has developed a breakthrough technology that effectively eliminates pests without
the use of pesticides and protects farms from soil diseases by using microwave heating, the core
mechanism of microwave ovens.

Soil diseases caused by monocultures are a major concern for farmers as they reduce crop yield and
quality. Soil diseases can be caused by a number of factors, but the most common are pests such
as soil-borne bacteria, fungi and nematodes.

Pesticides are commonly used to control pest infestation but their use comes with its drawbacks,
including the destruction of the agricultural ecosystem, pesticide resistance, and toxic residues.
Leaving the land fallow for a long time to restore soil could be an option, but it is not affordable for
most farmers as it affects their livelihoods.

KERI has developed a technology that penetrates microwaves deep into the ground to heat soil
moisture and eliminate pests vulnerable to heat. There has been research on microwave heating for
soil remediation in Australia and elsewhere, but the penetration depth is at most 10 cm due to wave
diffraction (as microwaves spread easily) and hence microwaves are used only in a limited way,
such as for weed control.

After years of research on the properties of microwaves, Dr. Jung’s team has reached the level of
being able to adjust the spatial distribution of microwaves by increasing or decreasing the
wavelength and phase as desired. As a result, they have successfully developed a proprietary
antenna (radiator) that maximizes microwave penetration. Microwaves emitted from the antenna are
induced to meet and overlap at a specific point underground. Coherently superimposed microwaves
increase the amplitude and heat the soil down to 30 cm or more, the highest level of technology in
the world.

Traveling down into the ground, microwaves selectively heat the moisture to 60~100 °C (heating
temperature can be adjusted). Given that moisture makes up for 10-30% of the soil, and that most
pests live near the roots of crops and are heat-vulnerable (60 °C or more), KERI’s technology is
expected to be highly effective in sterilization. It will also have a long-lasting effect as the soil, once
heated, does not cool easily but retain heat for a long time.

The research team's achievement draws attention for its potential contributions to help farmers deal
with soil diseases. This research started at the request of an employee of the Animal and Plant
Quarantine Agency and the research outcome, the microwave technology, was transferred to
“Jooeun Care Farm Co., Ltd. (CEO Moonheon Choi),” a company specializing in pest control
equipment. Jooeun Care Farm plans to manufacture equipment based on the transferred
technology and lay the foundation for farmers across the country to rent it at affordable prices in
partnership with local governments and public institutions.

Dr. Sunshin Jung of KERI said, “We took advantage of the wave nature of microwaves, directing
them to superimpose, not spread, and heat the soil underground,” adding, “This technology helps to
kill pests residing underground after harvest without the use of pesticides, their side effects and
environmental pollution, and will contribute a lot to agricultural productivity and farmers’ income.

Experts believe that this microwave heating technology could also be used to eradicate the habitats
of foreign pests (e.g., termites, red fire ants, and tropical fire ants) found in ports and airports
without destroying floors (non-destructive methods). Other potential applications include microwave
heating devices mounted on vehicles to remove “black ice” from roads in winter, and cleaning of soil
contaminated with oil.

KERI’s research team, which has applied for patents on this achievement, expects that this
penetrative microwave heating technology will have potential applications in various fields and will
promote its commercialization by identifying companies that have a need for this technology.
KERI is a government-funded research institute under the National Research Council of Science & Technology of the
Ministry of Science and ICT. This study was conducted as part of “Development of PENETRATIVE MICROWAVE
HEATING TECHNOLOGY FOR SOIL DISINFECTION,” ONE OF THE MAIN PROJECTS OF KERI.
Plant and Animal Reproduction

All organisms reproduce, including plants and animals. The biological process involves an organism
producing and/or giving birth to another organism. Just because all organisms reproduce doesn’t mean the
methods of reproduction are the same, however. Plants and animals occupy different phylogenetic kingdoms,
but they have evolved reproductive systems that overlap and diverge from each other in several ways. Even
within the same kingdom, different species may have different methods of reproduction.

Types of Reproduction

There are two types of reproduction: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. The former involves a
single parent that produces a genetically identical offspring, whereas the latter involves two parents of the
opposite sex, each of whom contributes genetic material to produce a diverse offspring. Different plants and
animal can reproduce either asexually or sexually; however, asexual reproduction is more common among
plants than animals.

Asexual and sexual reproduction each have benefits and drawbacks. Organisms that reproduce asexually
have the advantage of producing several genetically identical offspring quickly and with little energy. On the
other hand, the lack of genetic diversity among asexual offspring means they have a lower chance of
acclimating to an unstable environment. By contrast, organisms that reproduce sexually have the advantage
of producing a genetically diverse offspring, which is able to adapt to its environment. But sexual
reproduction comes at a cost, requiring more time and energy to produce an offspring than asexual
reproduction.

Fertilization

One difference between plant and animal sexual reproduction concerns fertilization. In flowering plants,
the fertilization of an egg is achieved by cross-pollination. This process involves an insect like a bee that
transfers the pollen grains from the anther, the male part of a flower, to the stigma, the female part of a
flower. Once the pollen lands on the stigma, it passes through a long, tube-like structure called a style to
reach the ovaries where fertilization takes place. It should be noted that some plants, called hermaphrodites,
have male and female parts on the same plant, and are able to self-pollinate. Animals, by contrast, do not
depend on third parties like insects in order to mate. As mobile creatures, animals reproduce by physically
interacting with each other and often perform various mating rituals in order to woo potential partners.

Embryonic Development

Despite differences in the fertilization process, the embryonic development of plants and animals is similar.
Once a plant egg is fertilized, it starts developing into a multicellular organism in a way similar to an animal
embryo. The only major difference between the two is that a plant embryo is contained within a seed, which
provides the nutrients it needs to grow, while an animal embryo develops within an egg, outside the organism,
or within a uterus, inside the female parent organism.

Birth and Germination

Plants and animals also differ with respect to how they give birth. Animals exit their mother’s uterus as a
newborn or hatch from an egg that has already left the mother’s body. A plant, by contrast, arises by
germinating from a seed. The plant releases the seed, which begins to grow once it is in soil and the
conditions are right for germination. After the seed has germinated into a plant, it can collect additional
nutrients through its roots.

Growth Rates

The growth rates of plants and animals also vary. Plants have what is called indeterminate growth, meaning
there is nearly no limit to how much they can grow. The extent to which a plant can grow is largely
determined by its environment. Consequently, plants do not have a size or age that is deemed normal or
mature. The growth rate of mammals, such as humans, is also influenced by environmental factors, like
nutrition, but animals cease growing once they have reached adulthood.

Asexual Reproduction

As noted earlier, many plants reproduce asexually. There are a variety of ways plants can reproduce without a
partner. For example, some nonflowering plants, such as moss and algae, reproduce by spore formation.
These plants form several spores, which break off and grow into separate organisms. Other plants, such as
strawberries, are able to reproduce asexually through vegetative propagation, either naturally or artificially.
This process involves using a vegetative part of a plant, such as a root or stem, to produce a new plant.
Alternative artificial methods, such as grafting, involve combining two plants into one by attaching the top
part of a plant, called a scion, to the lower part of a plant, called a rootstock.