ELECTROCULTURE OF SEEDS AND PLANTS
Isn't it a strange name - electroculture? What is it? In short, the science that studies how an electric field affects living organisms. It is now firmly established that for them this field has the same meaning as, say, air, light, heat...
A LITTLE HISTORY
Electroculture as a science apparently originated in 1776, when the French abbot, later academician, P. Bertalon noticed that plants grow and develop much better near lightning rods than at some distance from them. He suggested that electrical discharges passing through the lightning rod during a thunderstorm were to blame.
The Italian F. Gardini decided to test the abbot's guess. In 1793, he strung several rows of lightning rods (simply wires) over the fruit trees in his garden and began to wait for a good harvest. For three years, thunderstorms raged over his garden, but not only did the harvest not increase, but, on the contrary, some of the plants withered.
The reason for this was found only in 1836, when the famous M. Faraday proved on himself that if a living organism is placed in a metal mesh (later called a Faraday cage), then it does not need to be afraid of thunderstorms. After all, the metal mesh does not allow electricity to pass through, and power lines literally bypass it.
Only now has it become clear that the rows of wire lightning rods in the Gardini garden created some semblance of a Faraday cage over the plants.
And to finally verify this, the French scientist A. Grando in 1848 covered one plant with such a cage, and left the second open. And what? The first is behind the second in development.
The conclusion suggested itself: electricity is essential for plants.
But this conclusion still had to be precisely proven. Such proof was carried out only 122 years after Bertalon’s discovery. In 1898, the German scientist S. Lemaistre and, four years later, his compatriot O. Prinsheim covered the plant with a Faraday cage, creating an artificial electrostatic field in it. And after a whole series of experiments we were convinced that it completely compensates for the lack of natural electricity.
Moreover, if you create a field more powerful than natural, then plant growth even accelerates. Hence, electricity can greatly help us in growing crops.
ELECTRIC FIELD OF THE PLANET
Even the ancients knew very well that amber rubbed on wool attracts pieces of cloth and paper. Now we know that an electric field is created around it. But it is interesting that other objects of plant origin - for example, stems and seeds - behave in exactly the same way in an electric field. If they are placed behind the grounded electrode 2, and a positive potential is applied to the upper, parallel electrode 1, they, as if on command, will rise and freeze along the power lines (Fig. 1).
| Rice. 2. This is how equipotential surfaces bend around tall buildings and other hills. |
 |
| Rice. 3. Fluctuations in the strength of the Earth's electric field (curve 1) and solar activity (curve 2) over twenty years. The letter W denotes the Wolf number, which characterizes the intensity of solar activity. |
| Rice. 4. Change in the electric field strength of the atmosphere over flat terrain during the day, expressed as a percentage of the average value. |
| Rice. 5. Relationship between US crop yields (upper curve) and solar activity variations (lower curve) over fifty years. According to A. Chizhevsky. |
And as soon as we remove the charge, our stems and seeds will scatter chaotically: as you can see, the electric field was able to defeat even the force of gravity.
Obviously, something similar happens in nature, only this time the role of “guinea pigs” is played by real plants - they are supported in a vertical position by the Earth’s electric field, and with its help they grow and rush upward.
But we started with experience, and therefore the question logically arises: what is considered the “upper electrode” of our planet? The answer was given in 1902 by the Englishman S. Heaviside and the American A. Kennelly. They suggested that in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 100 km there is some kind of layer of positively charged particles.
Then, when this hypothesis was confirmed, it was called the ionosphere. It has now been absolutely established that between it and the negatively charged Earth, like between the plates of a giant spherical capacitor, there is an electric field. It is characterized by tension, potential relative to the Earth and equipotentiality.
The first two quantities change with height: the voltage decreases (at the surface it is 130 V/m, and at 6 km it drops to 10 V/m), the potential, on the contrary, increases (at 500 m from the surface it is 50 kV, and near ionosphere reaches 212 kV).
As for the third quantity... The planet is, as it were, covered by equipotential shells, and the tension of each of them relative to the Earth is strictly constant. These properties of the planet's electric field are already used in technology.
For example, the American M. Hill from D. Hopkins University recently patented original version autopilot.
Sensors are installed on the wings and tail of the aircraft. While the car flies at a certain altitude, as if gliding along an equipotential surface, they are inactive. But as soon as the plane lowers or rises a little, thereby moving to another equipotential layer, the sensors will instantly react to the change in potential and issue a control signal to the rudders.
Interestingly, such an autopilot can drive a car at low altitude. It is not at all in danger of colliding with any obstacle - after all, the equipotential shells smoothly bend around even the slightest hills (Fig. 2).
True, the equipment settings will have to be adjusted all the time: the Earth’s electric field is only called static, but in fact its potential is constantly changing. 11-year cycles of its oscillations have already been observed, coinciding with periods of solar activity (Fig. 3); There are annual and even daily changes (Fig. 4), and in the afternoon the Earth's field strength is much higher than in the morning.
So, plant life depends on the electric field of the atmosphere, and its state, in turn, is inextricably linked with the activity of the Sun. And it is no coincidence that the harvests collected during the period of greatest activity of our luminary exceed the average harvest by 54% and the shortfall by 108% (Fig. 5).
FLOW OF AERO IONS
As we were able to establish, charges from the ionosphere to the surface are carried by air ions - positively and negatively charged atoms and molecules of gases.
Negative ones rise along with water droplets to the positively charged ionosphere, forming various clouds along the way: ordinary (at an altitude of 10 km), pearlescent (25-30 km) and mysterious silvery ones (80-90 km).
| Rice. 6. Change in the number of positive and negative air ions in 1 cubic meter. cm of air throughout the year. |
| Rice. 7. Dependence of the germination of sugar beet seeds of the Yaltushkovskaya single-seeded variety on the hour of their treatment with an electrostatic field of the same intensity. |
And the positive ones descend to the negatively charged surface, where plants meet them first. In one cubic centimeter of air near the ground there are usually up to 750 positive and 650 negative air ions, and this disproportion increases precisely in the summer, during the reign of flora (Fig. 6).
It is curious that there are very few positive air ions in the room - the air passing through the window leaves almost half of them outside, and most of the rest settles on the walls and various objects. It is not difficult to make up for the deficiency - as soon as you bring a highly charged negative electrode into the room, positive air ions will immediately reach it through all the cracks.
An explanation for this phenomenon was found only after A. Becquerel and V. Roentgen created artificial air ionizers, and S. Arrhenius used the theory of electrolytic dissociation to describe the air environment. Electrons, it turns out, do not flow from the charged electrode, as was previously thought - air ions of the opposite sign are concentrated near it, which partially neutralize the original charge.
It was then that the role of the lightning rod became clear - being charged negatively from the ground, it attracted positive air ions from the atmosphere, which had a beneficial effect on plants. Thus, the lightning rod became the first device for electrical culture, although it was created for a completely different purpose...
ELECTROCULTURE OF SEEDS
If we are to activate plants with an electric field, then this must be done at the very initial stage of their development. Professor A. Chizhevsky came to this conclusion after studying everything that was written here and abroad about electroculture. And in 1932, in the village of Kuzminki near Moscow, under his leadership, research began on the influence of the electric field on vegetable seeds.
They were carried out on a setup similar to the one shown in Figure 1, only a negative potential was applied to electrode 1 to attract positive air ions to the seeds. And the second electrode was placed under the table with the experimental seeds.
To enhance the effect, the upper electrode was made in the form of a needle-shaped “chandelier” with small lightning rods sticking out in all directions. The experiments were successful, and Chizhevsky could rightfully assert: if cucumber seeds are exposed to electricity for 5 to 20 minutes, their germination will immediately increase by 14-16% (see Table 1).
The war suspended the work begun by A. Chizhevsky. And only 20 years later they were continued by employees of the Chelyabinsk Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture, however, focusing on cereal crops.
They proved the absolute correctness of the conclusions of the founder of electroculture in our country (see table 2).
table 2
| State farms |
Square sowing in hectares |
Harvest in c/ha |
Control in c/ha |
Promotion in c/ha |
Increase |
| Bagaryansky | 57 | 17,4 | 15,5 | 2,1 | 15 |
| Argayashsky | 81 | 22,5 | 18,6 | 3,9 | 21 |
| Uchkhoz CHIMESKH | 15,1 | 33,6 | 30 | 3,6 | 11 |
By 1975, a lot had been done.
For example, for grain seeds, the most favorable regimes and doses of pre-sowing treatment were selected, and the field of the corona (high intensity) discharge turned out to be very effective - it attracted the most positive air ions to the plants.
And then it was the turn of other cultures. In 1973-1975, at the All-Russian Research Institute of Sugar Beet and Sugar, after processing the seeds of this crop, they achieved not only high yields - the yield of sugar from the roots increased by 10-11%)
But at the Taldy-Kurgan Agricultural Experimental Station, corn seeds were irradiated in a field.
And what? The yield of green mass increased by 11-12%
Employees of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing also used electroculture. After three years of experiments, they managed to increase the yield of table carrots by 14-17%.
But still, why did the seeds, after being under voltage for a short time, change their properties so noticeably?
Let's try to figure this out.
As is known, in nature, seeds are formed in the summer, during the period of maximum atmospheric field intensity, when there are the most positive air ions in the air.
Autumn is approaching, and the intensity of the Earth's field is gradually decreasing. Metabolism in plant cells subsides. But now the long winter is ending, the field intensity increases every day, it becomes warmer and brighter. And then the seeds are briefly introduced into an artificial electric field, as if filling them with energy, adjusting the cellular biopotential to summer levels.
Now the “recharged” seeds will quickly adapt to the Earth’s electric field and, of course, will germinate more actively.
But for some reason when spring treatment the artificial field strength is kept the same from year to year. But this is wrong - the strength of the natural field depends on the state of solar activity. This means that seed treatment must be carried out differentially, strictly taking into account the activity of the Sun.
Moreover, during electrical irradiation sessions, even the time of day is of considerable importance. And the secret of this is simple: the constant regime of irradiation is superimposed on the natural regime of changes in the atmospheric field strength.
And finally, in the spring, the treated seeds are sown, and they germinate under the direct influence of the Earth’s electric field.
ELECTROCULTURE OF PLANTS
The seed has sprouted. Day after day, the plant extends its stem towards the positively charged ionosphere and buries its roots deeper into the soil (negative potential!). Isn't it very similar to a magnetic needle, only located vertically, along the Earth's field lines?
But now summer has come, the stems begin to grow even more intensely - after all, the atmospheric field strength is increasing all the time, and there are more and more positive air ions in the air.
And this will continue until the forces created by the potential difference between the ionosphere and the Earth are balanced by the weight of the stem itself and the nutrient juices moving along it. And the nutrient molecules, having turned into ions in the juices and obeying the laws of electrolytic dissociation, will go in opposite directions: negative ones - up, towards the leaves, and positive ones - down. It's inside the plants.
And outside them? As Canadian professor L. Murr established, a stream of negative electrons flows from the tops of plants to the ionosphere, and positive air ions rain down towards it, onto the leaves. Therefore, grasses and trees can safely be considered consumers of atmospheric charges, which they absorb, neutralize and accumulate in this form.
As for the other pole of plants, its root system, it turned out that negative air ions have a beneficial effect on it.
The researchers placed a positively charged rod - an electrode - between the roots of an ordinary tomato, which draws out negative air ions from the soil. The tomato harvest immediately increased by 52%.
In addition, it turned out that soil with a high content of organic matter is characterized by a cation-exchange character, that is, a large negative charge accumulates in fertilizers. This, by the way, is seen as one of the reasons for the increase in yields when using fertilizers.
We already know what role moisture plays in the electroculture of seeds. And what it means for the electroculture of plants is quite eloquently evidenced by the data of the American scientist M. Franz: when moistened carrot sprouts were irradiated with a field, its yield increased by 125%.
A. Chizhevsky was also involved in the electroculture of plants - in the greenhouses of the Marfino state farm near Moscow, he hung a negatively charged “chandelier” over the beds of cucumbers (Fig. 8). The results were immediate: the experimental cucumbers of the Klinskie variety, after three harvests, were twice as productive as the control specimens.
So, based on experiments with electroculture of seeds and plants, we can safely say that it provides an excellent opportunity to dramatically increase the productivity and profitability of agriculture. Electroculture can and should help the “green revolution” in solving the food problem.
TM 1978
LEONID SHAPOVALOV, Candidate of Technical Sciences,
Researcher at the Ukrainian Research Institute
Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture, Kyiv
Back in 1911, a book was published in Kyiv Gustav Magnusovich Ramnek"The Effect of Electricity on Soil". It presented the results of the first experiments on stimulating plant growth using electricity.
If you pass a weak electric current through the bed, it turns out that this is good for the plants. This was established a long time ago and by many experiments in different countries, under different soils and climatic conditions.
The effects of electricity come in many directions. Soil ionization accelerates the chemical and biochemical reactions occurring in it. Microorganisms are activated, moisture movement increases, and substances that are poorly absorbed by plants are decomposed.
At distances of microns and nanometers, electrophoresis and electrolysis occur, as a result of which chemicals in the soil are converted into easily digestible forms. Weed seeds and all plant residues turn into humins and humates faster. Which of these processes is the main one and which auxiliary ones will have to be explained by future researchers.
But what is well known is that for the use of electricity to be successful, the soil must be moist. The more moisture, the better its electrical conductivity. Sometimes, to emphasize this, they say “soil solution,” that is, soil so wet that it can be considered dissolved in water.
Electrical stimulation is carried out by static electricity, direct and alternating current of different frequencies (up to radio frequencies), which is passed through the soil, as well as through plants, seeds, fertilizers and water for irrigation.
This is done with accompaniment artificial lighting, constant and flashing, with the addition of specially formulated fertilizers.
First about the results
Electrical stimulation of grains field conditions increased the yield by 45–55%; according to other experiments, the increase in yield was up to 7 c/ha. Maximum number experiments were carried out on vegetables.
So, if you create a constant electrostatic field at the roots of tomatoes, the increase in yield will be 52% due to an increase in the size of the fruits and their number on one plant.
Electricity has a particularly beneficial effect on carrots, the yield increases by 125%, and on raspberries, the yield of which almost doubles. Under film cover, under continuous exposure to direct current, the growth of annual pine and larch seedlings increases by 40–42%.
Under the influence of electricity, the sugar content in sugar beets increases by 15%, however, with abundant moisture and good fertilizer. This is a hint that electricity corrects biochemical reactions.
A special and related problem is the effect of electricity on soil microbiology. It has been established, for example, that a constant weak electric current increases the number of nitrogen-fixing bacteria living in soil or compost by 150%. In particular, such an increase in the number of nodule bacteria on the root system of peas gives an increase in yield by 34% compared to the control group.
In other similar experiments, peas give a 75% increase in yield. Not only does nitrogen production increase, but also carbon dioxide production. But exceeding the permissible amount of electricity leads to a slowdown in the processes of germination and growth.
IN late XIX century Finnish explorer Selim Laemstrom experimented with electrical stimulation of potatoes, carrots and celery. Within 8 weeks, the yield increased on average to 40%, and at a maximum - to 70%. Strawberries grown in a greenhouse ripened twice as quickly, and their yield doubled. However, cabbage, turnips and flax grew better without electricity.
Electrical stimulation of plants in the north is of particular importance. Back in the 1960s, experiments were conducted in Canada on electrical stimulation of barley, and an acceleration of its growth by 37% was observed. Potatoes, carrots, and celery produced yields 30–70% higher than usual.
Electricity from an external source
The most common and best-researched method of improving plant life with electricity is the use of a source of electricity, usually a low-power one.
It is known that for the well-being of plants, the power electric current in the soil should be in the range from 0.02 to 0.6 mA/cm 2 for constant and from 0.25 to 0.5 mA/cm 2 for alternating current. There is significantly less data regarding optimal voltage values.
According to the observations of an outstanding Soviet breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurina (1855–1935), need to, " so that the voltage does not exceed two volts. Higher voltage currents, according to my observations, are more likely to cause harm in this matter than benefit».
For this reason, it is unknown how electrical stimulation is related to the power of the installation that provides this electrical stimulation. And if so, then it is not clear how to stimulate plants with electricity, according to what criteria.
Most voltages used are fractions of a volt. For example, at a voltage (potential difference between the electrodes) of 23–35 mV, a direct current with a density of 4 to 6 μA/cm 2 flows through moist soil.
For the purity of the experiment, sometimes researchers switch to hydroponics. Thus, when using the above voltage, a current density of 5–7 μA/cm 2 is recorded in the nutrient solution with corn sprouts.
A very practical way to increase potato yield was invented by an inventor. Vladimir Yakovlev from the city of Shostka, Sumy region. He installs a rectifier with a transformer that lowers the mains voltage from 220 to 60 volts, and processes the potato tubers, sticking electrodes into each tuber on both sides. The inventor stimulates tomatoes using a 12-volt battery after they grow to 20–30 cm.
A lot of experiments have been and are going on with different options for electrodes. In the device, patented by French researchers, the electrodes consist of two combs. The current between the two combs diverges in arcs, this is enough to accelerate seed germination and plant growth. The soil, of course, must be moist.
In general, plants that are stimulated with electric current require about 10% more water, than usual. The reason is that ionized water is absorbed by plants much faster.
Let's make a battery out of a garden bed
In the 1840s, a tester V. Ross from New York increased the potato harvest in this way. He dug a copper plate measuring 15x50 cm2 into the soil, and at a distance of 6 meters from it he dug a zinc plate of the same size. The plates were connected by a wire above the ground. Thus, a galvanic cell was obtained. Those who repeated his experiments claimed that the potato harvest increased by a quarter.
Electric current passing through the soil changes its physical and chemical properties. The solubility of microelements and the evaporation of moisture simultaneously increases. The content of nitrogen, phosphorus and a number of other elements assimilated by plants increases. The acidity of the soil changes and its alkalinity decreases.
Apparently, other phenomena are connected with this, which scientists have so far recorded, but are not able to explain. Thus, powdery mildew damage to cabbage is reduced by 95%, the sugar content in sugar beets increases sharply, the number of bolls on cotton increases two to three times, and the share female plants hemp on next year increases by 20–25%.
Not only does the tomato yield increase by 10–30%, but the chemical composition of each tomato changes and its taste improves. Nitrogen uptake by grains doubles. All these processes await new researchers.
Relatively recently, a method of electrical stimulation without an external energy source was developed at the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.
Stripes are allocated on the field: some are filled with negatively charged mineral fertilizers (potential anions), while others are filled with positively charged fertilizers (potential cations). The difference in electrical potential between the strips stimulates the growth and development of plants and increases their productivity.
Such strips are especially effective in greenhouses, although the method can also be used in large fields. To apply this method, new mineral fertilizers are needed.
Sodium and calcium are present mainly in the form of compounds. Magnesium is part of the mineral fertilizer carnallite. Plants need magnesium for photosynthesis.
In another method, developed in the same team, it is proposed for each square meter When planting or sowing, add plates of copper alloys (150–200 g) and 400 grams of plates of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and iron alloys, as well as granules with sodium and calcium compounds. Plates 3 mm thick, 2 cm wide and 40–50 cm long are dug into the ground 10–30 cm below the arable layer.
In fact, the same method was proposed by one inventor from the Moscow region. Small plates of various metals are placed into the soil at a shallow depth, but below the level of digging or plowing.
Copper, silver, gold, platinum and their alloys will be charged positively, while magnesium, zinc, aluminum, iron and others will be charged negatively. Currents arising between the metals of these two groups will create the effect of electrical stimulation of plants, and the current strength will be within the optimal range.
Plates of one type alternate with plates of another type. If the plates are not affected by the working parts of agricultural machinery, then they serve for a long time. Moreover, the use of any metals with copper plated for some electrodes and zinc for others.
Another option is to add metals and alloys to the soil with powder. This metal is mixed with the soil every time it is processed. The main thing is that the powders different types were not divided. And this usually doesn’t happen.
The geomagnetic field helps us
The Earth's magnetic field appears as if there is a linear magnet about 2000 km long located inside the globe, the axis of which is inclined at an angle of 11.5° to the Earth's rotation axis. One end of the magnet is called north magnetic pole(coordinates 79°N and 71°W), the other - southern (75°S and 120°E).
It is known that in a conductor one kilometer long, oriented in the east-west direction, the potential difference at the ends of the wire will be tens of volts. The specific value depends on the geographic latitude at which the conductor is located. In a closed loop of two conductors 100 km long and with minimal internal resistance and shielding of one of the conductors, the generated power can amount to tens of megawatts.
Electrical stimulation of plants does not require such power. All you need to do is orient the beds in the east-west direction and lay a steel wire in the boundary at a shallow depth along the beds. With a bed length of a couple of tens of meters, a potential difference of the same 25–35 mV appears on the electrodes. It is better to lay the steel wire along a line that is perpendicular not to the magnetic needle, but to the direction of the North Star.
Research on the use of geomagnetism for large harvests has been carried out for a long time, since Soviet times, at the Kirovograd Technical University (S.I. Shmat, I.P. Ivanko). One of the methods has recently been patented.
Antennas and capacitors. Ionization of soil and air
Along with electric currents, static electricity has been actively used for stimulating plants for a very long time. The first news of such experiments came to us from Edinburgh, Scotland, where in 1746 Dr. Maymbray applied the electrodes of an electrostatic machine to indoor myrtle trees, and this accelerated their growth and flowering.
There is also a long history of attempts to collect atmospheric electricity to stimulate the growth of crops. Back in 1776, the French academician P. Bertalon I noticed that plants near lightning rods grow better than others.
And in 1793 in Italy and in 1848 in France, “reverse” experiments were carried out. Crops and fruit trees covered with light metal mesh. Plants not covered with mesh grew 50–60% better than those that were screened.
Another half a century passed and the experience was brought to perfection. German researchers S. Lemaistre And O. Prinsheim They came up with the idea of creating an artificial electrostatic field under the mesh that is more powerful than the natural one. And plant growth accelerated.
Outstanding inventor Alexander Leonidovich Chizhevsky- the great Russian biophysicist, cosmist, founder of heliobiology and inventor, in 1932, in a village near Moscow, conducted research on the influence of the electric field on vegetable seeds using the now well-known “ Chizhevsky chandeliers", which served as the upper (negative) electrode. The lower (positive) electrode was placed under the table on which the seeds were scattered. It was found that when cucumber seeds are kept in an electrostatic field from 5 to 20 minutes, their germination increases by 14–16%. From seeds, A. Chizhevsky moved on to experiments with plants in greenhouses with the same negatively charged “chandelier”. The cucumber harvest has doubled.
In 1964, the USDA conducted experiments in which a negative electrode was placed near the top of the tree, and a positive electrode was attached under the bark closer to the root. After a month of stimulation with current at a voltage of 60 volts, the leaf density became noticeably higher. And the next year, the mass of leaves on the “electrified” branches was three times greater than on neighboring ones.
Electroeffluvial chandelier diagram - From the book by A.L. Chizhevsky "GUIDE TO
USING IONIZED AIR
IN INDUSTRY, AGRICULTURE AND
IN MEDICINE".
1 - ring.
2 - suspension.
3 - stretching.
4 - pin.
5 - clamp for the ring.
6 - clamp.
7 - clamp for suspension.
8 - high voltage insulator.
9 - screw.
10 - pin.
11 - screw.
12 - bar.
The same method eliminates trees from many diseases, in particular bark diseases. To do this, two electrodes are inserted under the bark of the diseased tree at the borders of the affected area of the bark and connected to a battery with a voltage of 9–12 volts.
If a tree reacts this way to electricity, then a suspicion arises that electrical processes are taking place in it even without an external source. And many people around the world are trying to find practical applications for these processes.
Thus, employees of the Moscow All-Russian Research Institute for Agricultural Electrification measured the electrical potential of trees in the forests of the Moscow and Kaluga regions. We examined birch, linden, oak, larch, pine, and spruce. It has been clearly established that a pair of metal electrodes, when placed at the top of a tree and at the roots, forms a galvanic cell. The generation efficiency depends on the intensity of solar radiation. Deciduous trees produce more energy than conifers.
The maximum value (0.7 volts) is given by birch over 10 years old. This is quite enough to stimulate the plants in the garden next to it. And who knows, maybe over time trees will be found that give a more significant potential difference. And next to each bed they will grow a tree, stimulating the growth of tomatoes and cucumbers with its electricity.
Electric seed charging
This topic has also been known for a long time. From 1918 to 1921 500 British farmers were involved in an experiment in which pre-dried seeds were exposed to an electric current before sowing. As a result, the yield increase reached 30% due to an increase in the number of spikelets on one plant (sometimes up to five). The height of the plants increased, the stem became more powerful. Wheat became resistant to lodging. Its resistance to rot and other diseases also increased.
But the effect of current on the seeds was not long-lasting. If sowing was delayed for a month after “charging”, then there was no effect. The experiment worked best if electricity was applied immediately before sowing.
The procedure is described as follows. The seeds are placed in a rectangular tank and filled with water in which table salt, calcium salts or sodium nitrate are dissolved to improve electrical conductivity. Iron electrodes of a large area are placed on opposite internal sides tank and are exposed to a weak electric current for several hours.
The holding time, as well as the optimal temperature and the choice of salt, depend on what seeds are in the tank and in what soil they will be sown. The exact matches are still unknown. The information is only fragmentary.
Thus, barley seeds require twice as much aging as wheat or oat seeds. But what is known for sure is that after testing the seeds with electricity in the tank, they need to be dried well again.
In one of the very recent experiments conducted by students of the Don Agrarian University on sundew seeds, it was found that the effect of electricity on seedlings is optimal when the current does not exceed 4–5 μA, and the duration of exposure is from several days to several weeks. In this case, the negative electrode is attached to the top of the seedling, and the positive electrode is attached to its base.
In the 1970s, on the basis of one patent, Intertec Inc was created, which began to promote the technology of “electrogenic seed treatment,” which consists of simulating atmospheric electricity.
The seeds are then exposed to infrared irradiation to prevent them from going dormant and to increase the production of amino acids. At the next stage, the seeds are negatively charged (cathodic protection is introduced). This reduces seed death by allowing the flow of electrons to block reactions with free radicals. Cathodic protection is commonly used to protect underground metal structures from corrosion. The meaning is the same here.
When using cathodic protection, the seeds must be moist. Dried seeds may become damaged at this stage, although damaged seeds are partially restored if they are then soaked. Cathodic protection doubles seed germination.
The final stage of the electrogenetic process is the impact on seeds of electricity in the radio frequency range, which, according to the plan, should affect chromosomes and mitochondria and intensify metabolic processes. This effect increases the dissolution of microelements in soil moisture, increases electrical conductivity and soil aeration (saturation with oxygen). To treat seeds immediately before sowing, frequencies in the range from 800 KHz to 1.5 MHz were used.
For unknown reasons, this direction was curtailed. And here is the time to discuss the question of why research on electrical stimulation of plant growth was actively developing in past centuries until the 1920s.
I think the reason is that electrical engineering is very far from agronomy. And only encyclopedist scientists like A. Chizhevsky or inventors like V. Yakovlev from Shostka are able to do both at the same time. And there are not many of them.
Ramnek G.M. The influence of electricity on soil: Soil ionization and atmospheric assimilation. nitrogen / Kyiv: typ. University of St. Vladimir, ed. N.T. Korczak-Novitsky, 1911. – 104 p.
Kravstov P. et al.// Applied electrical phenomena. – 1968. –No 2 (20)/ – P. 147-154
Lazarenko B.R., Gorbatovskaya I.B. Electrical protection of plants from diseases // Electronic processing of materials. – 1966. – No. 6. – P. 70-81.
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Moore A.D. Electrostatics & Its Applications. – Wiley & Sons, 1972
Kholmansky A.S., Kozhevnikov Yu.M. Dependence of the electrical potential of a tree on external conditions // Alternative energy and ecology. – 2015. – No. 21 (185). – pp. 183-187
Scientific American. – 1920. – 15.02. – R. 142-143
Voitova A.S., Yukin N.A., Ubirailova V.G. Weak electric current as a factor in stimulating the growth of domestic plants // International Student Scientific Bulletin. – 2016. – No. 4-3.
US Patent 4302670
Yu.P. Voronov, Candidate of Economic Sciences, member of the editorial board of the ECO magazine
Electro-plant growth stimulator
Solar cells are truly amazing when you consider their incredible range of applications. Indeed, the scope of solar cells is quite wide.
Below is an application that will be hard to believe. We are talking about photoelectric converters that stimulate plant growth. Sounds implausible?
Plant growth
The best place to start is to become familiar with the basics of plant life. Most readers are well aware of the phenomenon of photosynthesis, which is the main driving force in plant life. Essentially, photosynthesis is the process by which sunlight allows plant nutrition to occur.
Although the process of photosynthesis is much more complex than the explanation that is possible and appropriate in this book, the process is as follows. The leaf of every green plant is made up of thousands of individual cells. They contain a substance called chlorophyll, which, by the way, gives the leaves their green color. Each cell is a miniature chemical plant. When a particle of light, called a photon, enters a cell, it is absorbed by chlorophyll. The photon energy released in this process activates chlorophyll and gives rise to a series of transformations, ultimately leading to the formation of sugar and starch, which are absorbed by plants and stimulate growth.
These substances are stored in the cell until they are needed by the plant. It is safe to assume that the amount of nutrients a leaf can provide to a plant is directly proportional to the amount of sunlight falling on its surface. This phenomenon is similar to the energy conversion of a solar cell.
A few words about roots
However, sunlight alone is not enough for a plant. To produce nutrients, the leaf must have raw materials. The supplier of such substances is a developed root system, through which they are absorbed from the soil*.( * Not only from the soil, but also from the air. Fortunately for humans and animals, plants breathe carbon dioxide during the day, with which we constantly enrich the atmosphere, exhaling air in which the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen is significantly increased compared to the air we inhale). Roots, which are complex structures, are as important to plant development as sunlight.
Typically, the root system is as extensive and branched as the plant it feeds. For example, it may turn out that a healthy plant 10 cm high has a root system that goes into the ground to a depth of 10 cm. Of course, this does not always happen and not for all plants, but, as a rule, this is so.
Therefore, it would be logical to expect that if the growth of the root system could be somehow enhanced, the upper part of the plant would follow suit and grow by the same amount. In reality, this is what happens. It was discovered that, thanks to an action that was not yet fully understood, a weak electric current actually promotes the development of the root system, and therefore the growth of the plant. It is assumed that such stimulation by electric current actually supplements the energy obtained in the usual way during photosynthesis.
Photovoltaics and photosynthesis
A solar cell, like leaf cells during photosynthesis, absorbs a photon of light and converts its energy into electrical energy. However, a solar cell, unlike a plant leaf, performs the conversion function much better. Thus, a typical solar cell converts at least 10% of the light falling on it into electrical energy. On the other hand, during photosynthesis, almost 0.1% of the incident light is converted into energy.
Rice. 1. Is there any benefit from a root stimulator? This can be resolved by looking at a photograph of two plants. Both of them are the same type and age, grew up in identical conditions. The plant on the left had a root system stimulator.
For the experiment, seedlings 10 cm long were selected. They grew indoors in weak sunlight penetrating through a window located at a considerable distance. No attempt was made to favor any plant other than the faceplate of the photovoltaic cell was oriented in the direction of sunlight.
The experiment lasted about 1 month. This photo was taken on the 35th day. It is noteworthy that the plant with the root system stimulator is more than 2 times larger than the control plant.
When one solar cell is connected to the root system of a plant, its growth is stimulated. But there is one trick here. It lies in the fact that stimulating root growth gives better results in shaded plants.
Research has shown that plants exposed to strong sunlight have little or no benefit from root stimulation. This is probably because such plants have enough energy obtained through photosynthesis. Apparently, the stimulation effect appears only when the only source of energy for the plant is a photoelectric converter (solar cell).
However, it should be remembered that a solar cell converts light into energy much more efficiently than a leaf during photosynthesis. In particular, it can convert light that would be simply useless to a plant into useful amounts of electricity, such as the light from fluorescent and incandescent lamps used daily for indoor lighting. Experiments also show that seeds exposed to a weak electric current accelerate germination and increase the number of shoots and, ultimately, yield.
Growth stimulator design
All that is needed to test the theory is a single solar cell. However, you will still need a pair of electrodes that could easily be stuck into the ground near the roots (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. You can quickly and easily test a root stimulator by sticking a couple of long nails into the ground near the plant and connecting them with wires to a solar cell of some kind.
The size of the solar cell is essentially irrelevant since the current required to stimulate the root system is negligible. However, for best results, the surface of the solar cell must be large enough to capture more light. Taking these conditions into account, an element with a diameter of 6 cm was selected for the root system stimulator.
Two stainless steel rods were connected to the element disk. One of them was soldered to the rear contact of the element, the other to the upper current-collecting grid (Fig. 3). However, it is not recommended to use the element as a fastening for rods, as it is too fragile and thin.
Rice. 3
It is best to mount the solar cell on a metal plate (mostly aluminum or stainless steel) several times large sizes. After making sure that the electrical contact of the plate is reliable on the back side of the element, you can connect one rod to the plate, the other to the current-collecting grid.
You can assemble the structure in another way: place the element, rods and everything else in a plastic protective case. Boxes made of thin transparent plastic (used, for example, for packaging commemorative coins), which can be found in a haberdashery, hardware store or office supply store, are quite suitable for this purpose. It is only necessary to strengthen the metal rods so that they do not twist or bend. You can even fill the entire product with a liquid curing polymer composition.
However, it should be borne in mind that when liquid polymers cure, shrinkage occurs. If the element and attached rods are securely fastened, then no complications will arise. A poorly secured rod during shrinkage of the polymer compound can destroy the element and cause it to fail.
The element also needs protection from exposure external environment. Silicon solar cells are slightly hygroscopic, capable of absorbing small amounts of water. Of course, over time, water penetrates a little inside the crystal and breaks down the most exposed atomic bonds*. ( * The mechanism of degradation of the parameters of solar cells under the influence of moisture is different: first of all, corrosion of metal contacts and peeling of antireflective coatings occurs, and the appearance of conductive jumpers at the ends of the solar cells, shunting the p-n junction.). As a result, they worsen electrical characteristics element, and eventually it fails completely.
If the element is filled with a suitable polymer composition, the problem can be considered solved. Other methods of attaching an element will require other solutions.
Parts List
Solar cell with a diameter of 6 cm two stainless steel rods about 20 cm long A suitable plastic box (see text).
Experiment with a growth stimulator
Now that the stimulator is ready, you need to stick two metal rods into the ground near the roots. The solar cell will do the rest.
You can do this simple experiment. Take two identical plants, preferably grown in similar conditions. Plant them in separate pots. Insert root system stimulator electrodes into one of the pots, and leave the second plant for control. Now you need to care for both plants equally, watering them at the same time and giving them equal attention.
After about 30 days, you will notice a striking difference between the two plants. The plant with the root stimulator will be clearly taller than the control plant and will have more leaves. This experiment is best done indoors using only artificial lighting.
The stimulator can be used for indoor plants, keeping them healthy. A gardener or flower grower can use it to speed up seed germination or improve the root system of plants. Regardless of the type of use of this stimulant, you can experiment well in this area.
Inventor's name: Lartsev Vadim Viktorovich
Patent owner's name: Lartsev Vadim Viktorovich
Correspondence address: 140103, Moscow region, Ramenskoye-3, (liaison office), post restante, V.V. Lartsev
Patent start date: 2002.06.05
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Development know-how, namely this invention of the author, relates to the field of development of agriculture, plant growing and can be used mainly for electrical stimulation of plant life. It is based on the property of water to change its pH value when it comes into contact with metals (Application for discovery No. FROM OV dated 03/07/1997).
The use of this method is based on the property of changing the pH value of water when it comes into contact with metals (Application for discovery No. OT OV dated 03/07/1997 entitled “Property of changing the pH value of water when it comes into contact with metals”).
It is known that a weak electric current passed through the soil has a beneficial effect on the life of plants. At the same time, a lot of experiments on soil electrification and the influence of this factor on plant development have been carried out both in our country and abroad (see the book by A.M. Gordeev, V.B. Sheshnev “Electricity in the life of plants,” M., Enlightenment , 1988, - 176 pp., pp. 108-115) It has been established that this effect changes the movement of various types of soil moisture, promotes the decomposition of a number of substances that are difficult for plants to digest, and provokes a wide variety of chemical reactions, which in turn change the reaction of the soil solution. Electric current parameters that are optimal for various soils have also been determined: from 0.02 to 0.6 mA/cm 2 for direct current and from 0.25 to 0.50 mA/cm 2 for alternating current.
Currently, various methods of electrifying the soil are used - by creating a brush electric charge in the arable layer, creating a high-voltage low-power continuous arc discharge of alternating current in the soil and in the atmosphere. To implement these methods, electrical energy from external sources of electrical energy is used. However, to use such methods, a fundamentally new technology for growing crops is required. This is a very complex and expensive task, requiring the use of power supplies, in addition, the question arises of how to handle such a field with wires hung above it and laid in it.
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However, there are methods for electrifying the soil that do not use external ones, trying to compensate for the stated disadvantage.
Thus, there is a known method proposed by French researchers. They patented a device that works like an electric battery. Only the soil solution is used as an electrolyte. To do this, positive and negative electrodes are alternately placed in its soil (in the form of two combs, the teeth of which are located between each other). The leads from them are short-circuited, thereby causing the electrolyte to heat up. A low current begins to pass between the electrolytes, which, as the authors convince us, is quite sufficient to stimulate accelerated germination of plants and their accelerated growth in the future.
This method does not use an external source of electrical energy; it can be used both on large acreage, fields, and for electrical stimulation of individual plants.
However, to implement this method, it is necessary to have a certain soil solution, electrodes are required, which are proposed to be placed in a strictly defined position - in the form of two combs, and also connected. The current does not occur between the electrodes, but between the electrolytes, that is, certain areas of the soil solution. The authors do not report how this current or its magnitude can be regulated.
Another method of electrical stimulation was proposed by employees of the Moscow Agricultural Academy. Timiryazeva. It consists in the fact that within the arable layer there are stripes, in some of which mineral nutrition elements predominate in the form of anions, in others - cations. The potential difference created in this way stimulates the growth and development of plants and increases their productivity.
This method does not use external ones; it can also be used for both large sown areas and small plots of land.
However this method tested in laboratory conditions, in small vessels, using expensive chemicals. To implement it, it is necessary to use a certain nutrition of the arable soil layer with a predominance of mineral nutrition elements in the form of anions or cations. This method is difficult to implement for widespread use, since its implementation requires expensive fertilizers, which must be regularly applied to the soil in a certain order. The authors of this method also do not report the possibility of regulating the electrical stimulation current.
It should be noted the method of electrifying the soil without an external current source, which is a modern modification of the method proposed by E. Pilsudski. To create electrolyzed agronomic fields, he proposed using the Earth’s electromagnetic field, and to do this, laying a steel wire at a shallow depth, such as not to interfere with normal agronomic work, along the beds, between them, at a certain interval. In this case, a small EMF of 25-35 mV is induced on such electrodes.
This method also does not use external power sources; to use it there is no need to maintain a certain nutrition of the arable layer, it uses simple components for sale - steel wire.
However, the proposed method of electrical stimulation does not allow obtaining currents of different values. This method depends on electrical magnetic field Earth: the steel wire must be laid strictly along the beds, orienting it according to the location of the Earth’s magnetic field. The proposed method is difficult to use for electrical stimulation of the vital activity of separately growing plants, indoor plants, as well as plants located in greenhouses in small areas.
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The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a method of electrical stimulation of plant life, simple in its implementation, inexpensive, lacking the indicated disadvantages of the considered methods of electrical stimulation for more effective use of electrical stimulation of plant life both for various crops and for individual plants, for wider use of electrical stimulation both in agriculture and homestead farming, as well as in everyday life, on private plots, in greenhouses, for electrical stimulation of individual indoor plants.
This goal is achieved by placing small metal particles and small metal plates in different orders into the soil for sowing agricultural crops at a shallow depth, such that it is convenient for further processing and harvesting of a given agricultural crop. various shapes and configurations made from various types of metals. In this case, the type of metal is determined by its location in the electrochemical voltage series of metals. The current of electrical stimulation of plant life can be changed by changing the types of metals introduced. You can also change the charge of the soil itself, making it positively electrically charged (it will have more positively charged ions) or negatively electrically charged (it will have more negatively charged ions) if metal particles of the same type of metal are added to the soil for sowing crops.
So, if you add metal particles of metals to the soil that are in the electrochemical voltage range of metals up to hydrogen (since sodium and calcium are very active metals and in a free state are present mainly in the form of compounds, then in this case it is proposed to add metals such as aluminum, magnesium, zinc, iron and their alloys, and metals sodium, calcium in the form of compounds), then in this case, it is possible to obtain a soil composition positively electrically charged relative to the metals introduced into the soil. Between the introduced metals and the soil moist solution, currents will flow in different directions, which will electrically stimulate the life of the plants. The metal particles will be charged negatively, and the soil solution will be charged positively. The maximum value of the plant electrical stimulation current will depend on the composition of the soil, humidity, temperature and on the location of the metal in the electrochemical series of metal voltages. The further to the left a given metal is relative to hydrogen, the greater the electrical stimulation current will be (magnesium, compounds of magnesium, sodium, calcium, aluminum, zinc). For iron and lead it will be minimal (however, adding lead to the soil is not recommended). In pure water, the current value at a temperature of 20°C between these metals and water is 0.011-0.033 mA, voltage: 0.32-0.6 V.
If you introduce into the soil metal particles of metals that are in the electrochemical voltage series of metals after hydrogen (copper, silver, gold, platinum and their alloys), then in this case it is possible to obtain a soil composition that is negatively electrically charged relative to the metals introduced into the soil. Currents will also flow between the introduced metals and the soil moist solution in different directions, electrically stimulating the vital activity of plants. The metal particles will be charged positively, and the soil solution negatively. The maximum current value will be determined by the composition of the soil, its humidity, temperature and the location of the metals in the electrochemical series of metal voltages. The more to the right a given metal is relative to hydrogen, the greater the electrical stimulation current will be (gold, platinum). In pure water, the current value at a temperature of 20°C between these metals and water lies in the range of 0.0007-0.003 mA, voltage: 0.04-0.05 V.
When metals of different types are introduced into the soil in relation to hydrogen in the electrochemical series of metal voltages, namely when they are located before and after hydrogen, the resulting currents will be significantly greater than when metals of the same type are present. In this case, metals that are in the electrochemical series of voltages of metals to the right of hydrogen (copper, silver, gold, platinum and their alloys) will be charged positively, and metals that are in the electrochemical series of voltages of metals to the left of hydrogen (magnesium, zinc, aluminum, iron... .), will be charged negatively. The maximum current value will be determined by the composition of the soil, humidity, its temperature and the difference in the location of metals in the electrochemical series of metal voltages. The more to the right and to the left these metals are located relative to hydrogen, the greater the electrical stimulation current will be (gold-magnesium, platinum-zinc).
In pure water, the value of current and voltage at a temperature of 40°C between these metals is equal to:
gold-aluminum pair: current - 0.020 mA,
voltage - 0.36 V,
silver-aluminum pair: current - 0.017 mA,
voltage - 0.30 V,
copper-aluminum pair: current - 0.006 mA,
voltage - 0.20 V.
(Gold, silver, copper are charged positively during measurements, aluminum - negatively. The measurements were carried out using a universal device EK 4304. These are steady-state values).
For practical use, it is proposed to add metals such as copper, silver, aluminum, magnesium, zinc, iron and their alloys to the soil solution. The resulting currents between copper and aluminum, copper and zinc will create the effect of electrical stimulation of plants. In this case, the value of the resulting currents will be within the parameters of the electrical current that is optimal for electrical stimulation of plants.
As already mentioned, metals such as sodium and calcium are present in the free state mainly in the form of compounds. Magnesium is part of a compound such as carnallite - KCl MgCl 2 6H 2 O. This compound is used not only to obtain free magnesium, but also as a fertilizer that supplies magnesium and potassium to plants. Plants need magnesium because it is contained in chlorophyll and is part of compounds that take part in the processes of photosynthesis.
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By selecting pairs of introduced metals, it is possible to select electrical stimulation currents that are optimal for a given plant. When choosing applied metals, it is necessary to take into account the condition of the soil, its moisture, the type of plant, the way it feeds, and the importance of certain microelements for it. The microcurrents created in the soil will be of different directions and of different sizes.
As one of the ways to increase the electrical stimulation currents of plants with appropriate metals placed in the soil, it is proposed to sprinkle crops before watering baking soda NaHCO 3 (150-200 grams per square meter) or directly water agricultural crops with water and dissolved soda in proportions of 25-30 grams per 1 liter of water. Adding soda to the soil will increase the electrical stimulation currents of plants, since, based on experimental data, the currents between metals in clean water increase when soda is dissolved in water. The soda solution has an alkaline environment; it contains more negatively charged ions, and therefore the current in such an environment will increase. At the same time, breaking down into its component parts under the influence of electric current, it itself will be used as a nutrient necessary for absorption by the plant.
Soda is a beneficial substance for plants, as it contains sodium ions, which are necessary for the plant - they take an active part in the energy sodium-potassium metabolism of plant cells. According to P. Mitchell's hypothesis, which is the foundation of all bioenergy today, food energy is first converted into electrical energy, which is then spent on the production of ATP. Sodium ions, according to recent research, together with potassium ions and hydrogen ions are precisely involved in this transformation.
Released when soda decomposes carbon dioxide can also be absorbed by the plant, since it is the product that is used to nourish the plant. For plants, carbon dioxide serves as a source of carbon, and enriching the air in greenhouses and greenhouses with it leads to increased yield.
Sodium ions play a major role in the sodium-potassium metabolism of cells. They are playing important role in the energy supply of plant cells with nutrients.
So, for example, a certain class of “molecular machines” is known - carrier proteins. These proteins have no electrical charge. However, by attaching sodium ions and a molecule, such as a sugar molecule, these proteins acquire a positive charge and are thus drawn into the electric field of the membrane surface, where they separate the sugar and sodium. Sugar enters the cell in this way, and excess sodium is pumped out by the sodium pump. Thus, due to the positive charge of the sodium ion, the carrier protein becomes positively charged, thereby falling under the attraction of the electric field of the cell membrane. Having a charge, it can be drawn into the electric field of the cell membrane and thus, by attaching nutritional molecules, such as sugar molecules, deliver these nutritional molecules inside the cells. “We can say that the carrier protein plays the role of a carriage, the sugar molecule plays the role of a rider, and sodium plays the role of a horse. Although it itself does not cause movement, but is pulled into the cell by an electric field.”
It is known that the potassium-sodium gradient created on opposite sides of the cell membrane is a kind of generator of proton potential. It prolongs the functioning of the cell in conditions when the cell's energy resources are exhausted.
V. Skulachev in his note “Why does the cell exchange sodium for potassium?” emphasizes the importance of the sodium element in the life of plant cells: “The potassium-sodium gradient should prolong the performance of the riveting in conditions when energy resources are exhausted. This fact can be confirmed by experience with salt-loving bacteria that transport very large quantities of potassium and sodium ions in order to reduce potassium -sodium gradient. Such bacteria stopped quickly in the dark under oxygen-free conditions if there was KCl in the medium, and were still moving after 9 hours if KCl was replaced by NaCl. The physical meaning of this experiment is that the presence of a potassium-sodium gradient allowed maintain the proton potential of the cells of a given bacterium and thereby ensure their movement in the absence of light, i.e. when there were no other sources of energy for the photosynthesis reaction."
According to experimental data, the current between metals located in water and between metals and water increases if a small amount of baking soda is dissolved in water.
Thus, in a metal-water system, the current and voltage at a temperature of 20°C are equal to:
Between copper and water: current = 0.0007 mA;
voltage = 40 mV;.
(copper is positively charged, water is negatively charged);
Between aluminum and water:
current = 0.012 mA;
voltage =323 mV.
(aluminum is negatively charged, water is positively charged).
In a metal-soda solution type system (30 grams of baking soda per 250 milliliters of boiled water was used), the voltage and current at a temperature of 20°C are equal to:
Between copper and soda solution:
current = 0.024 mA;
voltage =16 mV.
(copper is positively charged, soda solution is negatively charged);
Between aluminum and soda solution:
current = 0.030 mA;
voltage = 240 mV.
(aluminum is negatively charged, soda solution is positively charged).
As can be seen from the above data, the current between the metal and the soda solution increases and becomes greater than between the metal and water. For copper it increases from 0.0007 to 0.024 mA, and for aluminum it increases from 0.012 to 0.030 mA, the voltage in these examples, on the contrary, decreases: for copper from 40 to 16 mV, and for aluminum from 323 to 240 mV.
In a metal1-water-metal2 type system, the current and voltage at a temperature of 20°C are equal to:
Between copper and zinc:
current = 0.075 mA;
voltage =755 mV.
Between copper and aluminum:
current = 0.024 mA;
voltage = 370 mV.
(copper has a positive charge, aluminum has a negative charge).
In a metal1-aqueous soda solution - metal2 type system, where the soda solution is a solution obtained by dissolving 30 grams of baking soda in 250 milliliters of boiled water, the current and voltage at a temperature of 20°C are equal to:
Between copper and zinc:
current = 0.080 mA;
voltage =160 mV.
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(copper has a positive charge, zinc has a negative charge);
between copper and aluminum:
current =0.120 mA;
voltage = 271 mV.
(copper has a positive charge, aluminum has a negative charge).
Voltage and current measurements were carried out using simultaneously measuring instruments M-838 and Ts 4354-M1. As can be seen from the data presented, the current in the soda solution between the metals became greater than when they were placed in clean water. For copper and zinc, the current increased from 0.075 to 0.080 mA, for copper and aluminum it increased from 0.024 to 0.120 mA. Although the voltage in these cases decreased for copper and zinc from 755 to 160 mV, for copper and aluminum from 370 to 271 mV.
As for the electrical properties of soils, it is known that their electrical conductivity, the ability to conduct current, depends on a whole complex of factors: humidity, density, temperature, chemical, mineralogical and mechanical composition, structure and the totality of properties of the soil solution. Moreover, if the density of soils of various types changes by 2-3 times, thermal conductivity - by 5-10, the speed of propagation of sound waves in them - by 10-12 times, then electrical conductivity - even for the same soil, depending on its momentary states - can change millions of times. The fact is that in it, as in a most complex physicochemical compound, there are simultaneously elements that have sharply divergent electrical conductive properties. Plus, the biological activity in the soil of hundreds of species of organisms, ranging from microbes to a whole range of plant organisms, plays a huge role.
The difference between this method and the considered prototype is that the resulting electrical stimulation currents can be different varieties plants should be selected with the appropriate choice of introduced metals, as well as the composition of the soil, thus choosing the optimal value of electrical stimulation currents.
This method can be used for plots of land of various sizes. This method can be used both for single plants (houseplants) and for sown areas. It can be used in greenhouses and summer cottages. It is convenient for use in space greenhouses used on orbital stations, since it does not require energy supply from an external current source and does not depend on the EMF induced by the Earth. It is simple to implement, since it does not require special soil nutrition, the use of any complex components, fertilizers, or special electrodes.
When this method is used for crop areas, the number of applied metal plates is calculated based on the desired effect of electrical stimulation of plants, on the type of plant, and on the composition of the soil.
For use on sown areas, it is proposed to apply 150-200 grams of copper-containing plates and 400 grams of metal plates containing alloys of zinc, aluminum, magnesium, iron, sodium compounds, calcium per 1 square meter. It is necessary to add more percentages of metals that are in the electrochemical series of metal voltages before hydrogen, since they will begin to oxidize upon contact with the soil solution and from the effect of interaction with metals that are in the electrochemical series of metal voltages after hydrogen. Over time (when measuring the time of the oxidation process of a given type of metals present before hydrogen, for a given soil condition), it is necessary to replenish the soil solution with such metals.
The use of the proposed method of electrical stimulation of plants provides the following advantages compared to existing methods:
The ability to obtain various currents and electric field potentials for electrical stimulation of plant life without supplying electrical energy from external sources, through the use of various metals introduced into the soil, with different soil compositions;
The introduction of metal particles and plates into the soil can be combined with other processes associated with soil cultivation. In this case, metal particles and plates can be placed without a specific direction;
Possibility of exposure to weak electric currents, without the use of electrical energy from an external source, for a long time;
Receiving currents of electrical stimulation of plants in various directions, without supplying electrical energy from an external source, depending on the position of the metals;
The effect of electrical stimulation does not depend on the shape of the metal particles used. Metal particles of various shapes can be placed in the soil: round, square, oblong. These metals can be added in appropriate proportions in the form of powder, rods, plates. For sown areas, it is proposed to place oblong metal plates 2 cm wide, 3 mm thick and 40-50 cm long into the ground at a small depth, at a certain interval, at a distance of 10-30 cm from the surface of the arable layer, alternating the introduction of metal plates of one type of metal with adding metal plates of another type of metal. The task of introducing metals into crop areas is greatly simplified if they are mixed into the soil in the form of a powder, which (this process can be combined with plowing the soil) is mixed with the ground. The resulting currents between particles of powder consisting of metals of various types will create an electrical stimulation effect. In this case, the emerging currents will have no specific direction. In this case, only metals whose oxidation rate is low can be added in powder form, that is, metals that are in the electrochemical voltage series of metals after hydrogen (copper and silver compounds). Metals that are in the electrochemical series of metal voltages before hydrogen must be added in the form of large particles, plates, since these metals, upon contact with the soil solution and from the effect of interaction with metals that are in the electrochemical series of metal voltages after hydrogen, will begin to oxidize, and therefore, both in mass and in size, these metal particles should be larger;
The independence of this method from the electromagnetic field of the Earth makes it possible to use this method both on small plots of land to influence individual plants, for electrical stimulation of the life of indoor plants, for electrical stimulation of plants in greenhouses, on summer cottages, and on large cultivated areas. This method is convenient for use in greenhouses used at orbital stations, since it does not require the use of an external source of electrical energy and does not depend on the EMF induced by the Earth;
This method is easy to implement, since it does not require special soil nutrition, the use of any complex components, fertilizers, or special electrodes.
The use of this method will increase the productivity of agricultural crops, frost and drought resistance of plants, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and use conventional, non-genetically modified agricultural seed materials.
This method will eliminate the application of chemical fertilizers and various pesticides, since the resulting currents will allow the decomposition of a number of substances that are difficult for plants to digest, and therefore will allow the plant to more easily absorb these substances.
At the same time, it is necessary to select currents for certain plants experimentally, since the electrical conductivity even for the same soil, depending on its momentary state, can change millions of times (3, p. 71), as well as taking into account the nutritional characteristics of a given plant and greater importance for him of certain micro- and macroelements.
The effect of electrical stimulation of plant life has been confirmed by many researchers both in our country and abroad.
There are studies showing that artificially increasing the negative charge of the root increases the flow of cations into it from the soil solution.
It is known that “the ground part of grass, shrubs and trees can be considered consumers of atmospheric charges. As for the other pole of the plant - its root system, negative air ions have a beneficial effect on it. To prove this, the researchers placed a positively charged rod - an electrode - between the roots of the tomato, " pulling "negative air ions from the soil. The tomato yield immediately increased by 1.5 times. In addition, it turned out that more negative charges accumulate in soil with a high content of organic matter. This is also seen as one of the reasons for the increase in yields.
Weak direct currents have a significant stimulating effect when they are directly passed through plants in the root zone of which a negative electrode is placed. The linear growth of stems increases by 5-30%. This method is very effective in terms of energy consumption, safety and the environment. After all, powerful fields can negatively affect the soil microflora. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of weak fields has been completely insufficiently studied."
The generated electrical stimulation currents will increase the frost and drought resistance of plants.
As stated in the source, “Quite recently it became known: electricity supplied directly to the root zone of plants can alleviate their fate during drought due to an as yet unknown physiological effect. In 1983 in the USA, Polson and K. Verwey published an article devoted to transport of water in plants under stress. They also described an experiment where a gradient of electrical potentials of 1 V/cm was applied to beans subjected to air drought. Moreover, if the positive pole was on the plant and the negative pole on the soil, then the plants withered, and stronger than in the control. If the polarity was reversed, no wilting was observed. In addition, plants that were in a dormant state came out of it faster if their potential was negative and the soil potential was positive. With reverse polarity, plants did not emerge from dormancy at all came out because they died from dehydration, because the bean plants were in conditions of air drought.
Around the same years, in the Smolensk branch of the TSHA, in the laboratory dealing with the effectiveness of electrical stimulation, they noticed that when exposed to current, plants grow better under moisture deficiency, but special experiments were not carried out then, other problems were solved.
In 1986, a similar effect of electrical stimulation at low soil moisture was discovered at the Moscow Agricultural Academy. K.A.Timiryazev. In doing so, they used an external DC power source.
In a slightly different modification, thanks to a different technique of creating differences in electrical potentials in the nutrient substrate (without an external current source), the experiment was carried out in the Smolensk branch of the Moscow Agricultural Academy. Timiryazeva. The result was truly amazing. Peas were grown under optimal moisture (70% of full moisture capacity) and extreme moisture (35% of full moisture capacity). Moreover, this technique was much more effective than the influence of an external current source under similar conditions. What did it turn out to be?
With half the humidity, the pea plants did not germinate for a long time and on the 14th day they were only 8 cm high. They looked very depressed. When, under such extreme conditions, plants were under the influence of a small difference in electrochemical potentials, a completely different picture was observed. And germination, and growth rates, and their general appearance, despite the lack of moisture, essentially did not differ from the control ones, which grew at optimal humidity; on the 14th day they had a height of 24.6 cm, which is only 0.5 cm lower than the control.
The source goes on to say: “Naturally, this begs the question: where does this reserve of endurance of plants lie, what is the role of electricity here? There is no answer yet, there are only first assumptions. Further experiments will help find the answer to the “addiction” of plants to electricity.
But this fact does exist, and it must certainly be used for practical purposes. After all, colossal amounts of water and energy are currently spent on irrigating crops to supply it to the fields. But it turns out you can do it in a much more economical way. This is also not easy, but nevertheless, I think the time is not far when electricity will help irrigate crops without watering."
The effect of electrical stimulation of plants has been tested not only in our country, but also in many other countries. Thus, in “one Canadian review article published in the 1960s, it was noted that at the end of the last century, in Arctic conditions, with electrical stimulation of barley, an acceleration of its growth by 37% was observed. Potatoes, carrots, and celery gave a yield of 30-70% higher "Usual. Electrical stimulation of grains in the field increased the yield by 45-55%, raspberries - by 95%." "The experiments were repeated in different climatic zones from Finland to the south of France. With abundant moisture and good fertilizer, the yield of carrots increased by 125%, peas by 75%, and the sugar content of beets increased by 15%.
Prominent Soviet biologist, honorary member of the USSR Academy of Sciences I.V. Michurin passed a current of a certain strength through the soil in which he grew the seedlings. And I was convinced: this accelerated their growth and improved quality planting material. Summing up his work, he wrote: “Solid assistance in growing new varieties of apple trees is provided by the introduction into the soil of liquid fertilizer from bird droppings mixed with nitrogenous and other mineral fertilizers, such as Chilean saltpeter and tomasslag. In particular, such fertilizer gives amazing results if subject the beds with plants to electrification, but on condition that the current voltage does not exceed two volts. Higher voltage currents, according to my observations, are more likely to cause harm in this matter than benefit." And further: “The electrification of the ridges has a particularly strong effect on the luxurious development of young grape seedlings.”
G.M. did a lot to improve methods of soil electrification and determine their effectiveness. Ramek, which he described in the book “The Influence of Electricity on Soil,” published in Kyiv in 1911.
In another case, the use of the electrification method is described, when there was a potential difference of 23-35 mV between the electrodes, and between them through moist soil arose electrical circuit, through which a direct current flowed with a density of 4 to 6 μA/cm 2 of the anode. Drawing conclusions, the authors of the work report: “Passing through the soil solution as through an electrolyte, this current supports the processes of electrophoresis and electrolysis in the fertile layer, due to which necessary for plants Soil chemicals change from difficult-to-digest to easily-digestible forms. In addition, under the influence of electric current, all plant residues, weed seeds, and dead animal organisms are humified faster, which leads to an increase in soil fertility."
In this variant of soil electrification (E. Pilsudski’s method was used), a very high increase in grain yield was obtained - up to 7 c/ha.
Leningrad scientists took a certain step in determining the result of the direct action of electricity on the root system, and through it on the entire plant, on physicochemical changes in the soil (3, p. 109). They passed a small direct electric current through the nutrient solution in which the corn seedlings were placed using chemically inert platinum electrodes with a value of 5-7 μA/cm 2 .
During their experiment, they obtained the following conclusions: "Passing a weak electric current through a nutrient solution in which the root system of corn seedlings is immersed has a stimulating effect on the plants' absorption of potassium ions and nitrate nitrogen from the nutrient solution."
When conducting a similar experiment with cucumbers, through the root system of which, immersed in a nutrient solution, a current of 5-7 μA/cm 2 was also passed, it was also concluded that the functioning of the root system improved during electrical stimulation.
The Armenian Research Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture used electricity to stimulate tobacco plants. We studied a wide range of current densities transmitted in the cross section of the root layer. For alternating current it was 0.1; 0.5; 1.0, 1.6; 2.0; 2.5; 3.2 and 4.0 A/m2; for a constant - 0.005; 0.01; 0.03; 0.05; 0.075; 0.1; 0.125 and 0.15 A/m2. A mixture consisting of 50% chernozem, 25% humus and 25% sand was used as a nutrient substrate. The most optimal current densities turned out to be 2.5 A/m 2 for alternating and 0.1 A/m 2 for constant with a continuous supply of electricity for one and a half months.
Tomatoes were also electrified. The experimenters created a constant electric field in their root zone. The plants developed much faster than the control ones, especially in the budding phase. They had a larger leaf surface area, increased activity of the peroxidase enzyme, and increased respiration. As a result, the yield increase was 52%, and this was mainly due to an increase in the size of the fruits and their number on one plant.
Similar experiments, as already mentioned, were carried out by I.V. Michurin. He noticed that direct current passed through the soil also has a beneficial effect on fruit trees. In this case, they go through the “children’s” (learners say “juvenile”) stage of development faster, their cold resistance and resistance to other unfavorable environmental factors increase, and as a result, productivity increases. When a direct current was passed continuously through the soil on which young coniferous and deciduous trees grew, during the daylight hours, changes occurred in their lives. whole line remarkable phenomena. In June-July, the experimental trees were characterized by more intense photosynthesis, which was the result of stimulation of growth by electricity biological activity soil, increasing the speed of movement of soil ions, better absorption by plant root systems. Moreover, the current flowing in the soil created a large potential difference between the plants and the atmosphere. And this, as already mentioned, is a factor in itself favorable for trees, especially young ones.
In the corresponding experiment, conducted under a film cover, with continuous transmission of direct current, the phytomass of annual pine and larch seedlings increased by 40-42%. “If this growth rate were maintained for several years, it is not difficult to imagine what a huge benefit this would turn out to be for loggers,” the authors of the book conclude.
As for the question of the reasons due to which the frost and drought resistance of plants increases, the following data can be given on this matter. It is known that the most “frost-resistant plants store fats in reserve, while others accumulate large quantities of sugar.” From this fact we can conclude that electrical stimulation of plants promotes the accumulation of fats and sugar in plants, due to which their frost resistance increases. The accumulation of these substances depends on metabolism, on the speed of its flow in the plant itself. Thus, the effect of electrical stimulation of plant life contributed to an increase in metabolism in the plant, and consequently, the accumulation of fats and sugar in the plant, thereby increasing their frost resistance.
As for the drought resistance of plants, it is known that to increase the drought resistance of plants today they use the method of pre-sowing hardening of plants (The method consists of soaking the seeds in water once, after which they are kept for two days, and then dried in air until air-dry state). For wheat seeds, 45% of their weight is given water, for sunflower - 60%, etc.). Seeds that have undergone the hardening process do not lose their viability, and more drought-resistant plants grow from them. Hardened plants are characterized by increased viscosity and water content of the cytoplasm, have a more intense metabolism (respiration, photosynthesis, enzyme activity), maintain synthetic reactions at a higher level, have a higher content of ribonucleic acid, and more quickly restore the normal course of physiological processes after drought. They have less water deficit and more content water during drought. Their cells are smaller, but the leaf area is larger than that of non-hardened plants. Hardened plants in drought conditions produce greater yields. Many hardened plants have a stimulating effect, that is, even in the absence of drought, their growth and productivity are higher.
Such an observation allows us to conclude that in the process of electrical stimulation of plants, this plant acquires properties similar to those acquired by a plant that has undergone the pre-sowing hardening method. As a result, this plant is characterized by increased viscosity and hydration of the cytoplasm, has a more intense metabolism (respiration, photosynthesis, enzyme activity), maintains synthetic reactions at a higher level, has a higher content of ribonucleic acid, and rapid restoration of the normal course of physiological processes after drought.
This fact can be confirmed by the data that the area of leaves of plants under the influence of electrical stimulation, as experiments have shown, is also greater than the area of leaves of control samples.
List of figures, drawings and other materials.
Figure 1 schematically shows the results of an experiment conducted with a houseplant of the "Uzambara violet" type for 7 months from April to October 1997. Moreover, under point "A" is shown a view of the experimental (2) and control (1) samples before the experiment . The type of these plants was practically no different. Under point “B” is shown the view of the experimental (2) and control plant (1) seven months after metal particles were placed in the soil of the experimental plant: copper shavings and aluminum foil. As can be seen from the above observations, the appearance of the experimental plant has changed. The type of control plant remained virtually unchanged.
Figure 2 schematically shows the types, various types of metal particles introduced into the soil, plates used by the author when conducting experiments on electrical stimulation of plants. In this case, under point “A” the type of metals added is shown in the form of plates: 20 cm long, 1 cm wide, 0.5 mm thick. Under item “B” the type of metals added is shown in the form of plates 3×2 cm, 3×4 cm. Under item “C” the type of metals added is shown in the form of “stars” 2×3 cm, 2×2 cm, 0.25 mm thick. Under item “D” the type of metals added is shown in the form of circles with a diameter of 2 cm and a thickness of 0.25 mm. Under item “D” the type of metals added in powder form is shown.
For practical use, the types of metal plates and particles introduced into the soil can be of very different configurations and sizes.
Figure 3 shows a view of a lemon seedling and the type of its leaf covering (its age was 2 years at the time of summing up the experiment). Metal particles were placed in the soil of this seedling approximately 9 months after its planting: copper plates in the shape of “stars” (shape “B”, Fig. 2) and aluminum plates of type “A”, “B” (Fig. 2). After this, 11 months after planting it, sometimes 14 months after planting it (that is, shortly before sketching this lemon, a month before summing up the results of the experiment), baking soda was regularly added to the soil of the lemon when watering (30 grams of soda per 1 liter of water ).
This method of electrical stimulation of plants has been tested in practice - it was used for electrical stimulation of the indoor plant "Uzambara violet"
So, there were two plants, two “Uzambara violets” of the same type, which grew under the same conditions on the window sill in the room. Then small particles of metals - copper shavings and aluminum foil - were placed in the soil of one of them. Six months after this, namely seven months (the experiment was carried out from April to October 1997). the difference in the development of these plants, indoor flowers, became noticeable. If in the control sample the structure of the leaves and stem remained practically unchanged, then in the experimental sample the leaf stems became thicker, the leaves themselves became larger and juicier, they tended upward more, while in the control sample such a pronounced upward tendency of the leaves was not observed. The leaves of the prototype were elastic and raised above the ground. The plant looked healthier. The control plant had leaves almost close to the ground. The difference in the development of these plants was observed already in the first months. In this case, no fertilizers were added to the soil of the experimental plant. Figure 1 shows a view of the experimental (2) and control (1) plants before (point “A”) and after (point “B”) the experiment.
A similar experiment was carried out with another plant - a fruit-bearing fig (fig tree), growing in the room. This plant had a height of about 70 cm. It grew in a plastic bucket with a volume of 5 liters, on a windowsill, at a temperature of 18-20°C. After flowering, it bore fruits and these fruits did not reach a state of maturity, they fell immature - they were greenish in color.
As an experiment, the following metal particles and metal plates were introduced into the soil of this plant:
Aluminum plates 20 cm long, 1 cm wide, 0.5 mm thick, (type “A”, Fig. 2) in the amount of 5 pieces. They were located evenly along the entire circumference of the pot and were placed throughout its entire depth;
Small copper and iron plates (3×2 cm, 3×4 cm) in the amount of 5 pieces (type “B”, Fig. 2), which were placed at a shallow depth not far from the surface;
A small amount of copper powder in the amount of about 6 grams (form “D”, Fig. 2), evenly applied to the surface layer of soil.
After introducing the listed metal particles and plates into the soil of fig growth, this tree, located in the same plastic bucket, in the same soil, when bearing fruit, began to produce quite ripe fruits of ripe burgundy color, with certain taste qualities. At the same time, no fertilizers were applied to the soil. Observations were carried out over a period of 6 months.
A similar experiment was also carried out with a lemon seedling for approximately 2 years from the moment it was planted in the soil (The experiment was carried out from the summer of 1999 to the autumn of 2001).
At the beginning of its development, when the lemon in the form of a cutting was planted in clay pot and developed, metal particles and fertilizers were not introduced into its soil. Then, approximately 9 months after planting, metal particles, copper plates of the form “B” (Fig. 2) and aluminum, iron plates of type “A”, “B” (Fig. 2) were placed in the soil of this seedling.
After this, 11 months after planting, sometimes 14 months after planting (that is, shortly before sketching this lemon, a month before summing up the results of the experiment), baking soda was regularly added to the soil of the lemon when watering (taking into account 30 grams of soda per 1 liter water). In addition, soda was applied directly to the soil. At the same time, there were still metal particles in the lemon growing soil: aluminum, iron, copper plates. They were located in a very different order, evenly filling the entire volume of soil.
Similar actions, the effect of metal particles being in the soil and the electrical stimulation effect caused in this case, resulting from the interaction of metal particles with the soil solution, as well as adding soda to the soil and watering the plant with water with dissolved soda, could be observed directly from appearance developing lemon.
Thus, the leaves located on the lemon branch corresponding to its initial development (Fig. 3, right lemon branch), when metal particles were not added to the soil during its development and growth, had dimensions from the base of the leaf to its tip of 7.2, 10 cm. The leaves developing at the other end of the lemon branch, corresponding to its present development, that is, the period when there were metal particles in the soil of the lemon and it was watered with water and dissolved soda, had dimensions from the base of the leaf to its tip of 16.2 cm (Fig. 3, extreme top sheet on the left branch), 15 cm, 13 cm (Fig. 3, penultimate leaves on the left branch). The latest data on leaf sizes (15 and 13 cm) correspond to the period of its development when the lemon was watered plain water, and sometimes, periodically, with water and dissolved soda, with metal plates located in the soil. The noted leaves differed from the leaves of the first right branch of the initial development of the lemon in size not only in length - they were wider. In addition, they had a peculiar shine, while the leaves of the first branch, the right branch of the initial development of the lemon, had a matte tint. This shine was especially evident in a leaf with a size of 16.2 cm, that is, in that leaf corresponding to the period of lemon development, when it was constantly watered with water and dissolved soda for a month with metal particles contained in the soil.
An image of this lemon is shown in Fig. 3.
Such observations allow us to conclude that similar effects may occur in natural conditions. Thus, by the state of the vegetation growing in a given area of the area, it is possible to determine the state of the nearest soil layers. If in a given area the forest grows thick and higher than in other places, or the grass in a given place is more juicy and dense, then in this case we can conclude that perhaps in this area of the area there are deposits of metal-containing ores located nearby from the surface. The electrical effect they create has a beneficial effect on the development of plants in the area.
USED BOOKS
1. Application for discovery No. OT OV 6 dated 03/07/1997 “The property of changing the hydrogen index of water when it comes into contact with metals” - 31 l.
2. Additional materials to the description of the discovery No. OT 0B 6 dated 03/07/1997, to section III "Area of scientific and practical use of the discovery." - March, 2001, 31 p.
3. Gordeev A.M., Sheshnev V.B. Electricity in plant life. - M.: Nauka, 1991. - 160 p.
4. Khodakov Yu.V., Epshtein D.A., Gloriozov P.A. Inorganic chemistry: Textbook. for 9th grade. avg. school - M.: Education, 1988 - 176 p.
5. Berkinblig M.B., Glagoleva E.G. Electricity in living organisms. - M.: Science. Ch. ed - physics. - mat. lit., 1988. - 288 p. (B-chka "Quantum"; issue 69).
6. Skulachev V.P. Stories about bioenergy. - M.: Young Guard, 1982.
7. Genkel P.A. Physiology of plants: Textbook. manual for electives. course for IX grade. - 3rd ed., revised. - M.: Education, 1985. - 175 p.
CLAIM
1. A method of electrical stimulation of plant life, including the introduction of metals into the soil, characterized in that metal particles in the form of powder, rods, plates of various shapes and configurations are introduced into the soil at a depth convenient for further processing, at a certain interval, in appropriate proportions, made of metals of various types and their alloys, differing in their relationship to hydrogen in the electrochemical series of voltages of metals, alternating the introduction of metal particles of one type of metal with the introduction of metal particles of another type, taking into account the composition of the soil and the type of plant, while the value of the resulting currents will be within parameters of electric current optimal for electrical stimulation of plants.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in order to increase the electrical stimulation currents of plants and its effectiveness, with appropriate metals placed in the soil, before watering the plant crops are sprinkled with baking soda 150-200 g/m 2 or the crops are directly watered with water with dissolved soda in proportions of 25-30 g/l of water.
Experiments with electricity, dear comrade, should be carried out at work, and at home, electrical energy should be used for exclusively peaceful, domestic purposes.
Ivan Vasilyevich changes profession
There are countless experiments on the effect of electric current on plants. Even I.V. Michurin conducted experiments in which hybrid seedlings were grown in large boxes with soil through which a direct electric current was passed. It was found that the growth of seedlings was enhanced. Experiments conducted by other researchers have yielded mixed results. In some cases, the plants died, in others they produced an unprecedented harvest. So, in one of the experiments around the plot where carrots grew, metal electrodes were inserted into the soil, through which an electric current was passed from time to time. The harvest exceeded all expectations - the mass of individual roots reached five kilograms! However, subsequent experiments, unfortunately, gave different results. Apparently, the researchers lost sight of some condition that allowed them to obtain an unprecedented harvest using electric current in the first experiment.
The essence of the experiments is that osmotic processes in the roots are stimulated, the root system grows larger and more powerful, and so does the plant. Sometimes they also try to stimulate the process of photosynthesis.
In this case, the currents are usually microampere, the voltage is not too important, usually fractions of volts...volts. Galvanic cells are used as a power source - at operating currents, the capacity of even small batteries lasts for a very long time. The power parameters are also well suited for solar cells, and some authors recommend powering them specifically so that stimulation occurs synchronously with solar activity.
However, there are also ways to electrify the soil that do not use external energy sources.
Thus, there is a known method proposed by French researchers. They patented a device that works like an electric battery. Only the soil solution is used as an electrolyte. To do this, positive and negative electrodes are alternately placed in its soil (in the form of two combs, the teeth of which are located between each other). The leads from them are short-circuited, thereby causing the electrolyte to heat up. A low current begins to pass between the electrolytes, which, as the authors convince us, is quite sufficient to stimulate accelerated germination of plants and their accelerated growth in the future. The method can be used both on large cultivated areas, fields, and for electrical stimulation of individual plants.
Another method of electrical stimulation was proposed by employees of the Moscow Agricultural Academy. Timiryazev. It consists in the fact that within the arable layer there are stripes, in some of which mineral nutrition elements predominate in the form of anions, in others - cations. The potential difference created in this way stimulates the growth and development of plants and increases their productivity.
It should be noted that there is another method of electrifying the soil without an external current source. To create electrolyzed agronomic fields, it involves the use of the Earth’s electromagnetic field; for this purpose, steel wires are laid at a shallow depth, such as not to interfere with the conduct of normal agronomic work, along the beds, between them, at a certain interval. In this case, a small EMF of 25-35 mV is induced on such electrodes.
In the experiment described below, an external power supply is still used. Solar battery. Such a scheme, although perhaps less convenient and more expensive in terms of materials, nevertheless makes it possible to very clearly monitor the dependence of plant growth on various factors, and has activity synchronous with the sun, which is probably more pleasant for the plant. In addition, it makes it easy to control and regulate the impact. Does not involve introducing additional chemicals into the soil.
So. What was used.
Materials.
Installation wire, any cross-section, but too thin will be vulnerable to accidental mechanical influences. A piece of stainless steel for electrodes. LEDs for elements solar battery, a piece of foil material for its base. Pickling chemicals, but you can get by. Acrylic lacquer. Microammeter. A piece of sheet steel to secure it. Related small items, fasteners.
Tool.
Kit metalworking tools, a 65W soldering iron with accessories, a tool for radio installation, something for drilling, including holes for LED leads (~1mm). A glass drawing pen for drawing tracks on the board, but you can also get by with a thick needle from a syringe, an empty ampoule from a ballpoint pen with a softened and drawn-out nose. My favorite tool, a jewelry jigsaw, also came in handy. A little neatness.
Electrodes - stainless steel. Marked, sawed, sawed off the burrs. Immersion depth marks are probably superfluous - I recently purchased a set of marks with numbers and my hands were itching to try them.
The wires were soldered with zinc chloride (solder acid flux) and ordinary POS-60. I used thicker wires with silicone insulation.
It was decided to make the solar cell ourselves. There are several designs of homemade solar cells. The copper oxide element was rejected as lowly reliable, leaving the option of ready-made radio elements. Opening diodes and transistors in metal cases was a pity, time-consuming and tedious, and then they would have to be sealed again. In this sense, it’s amazing how good LEDs are. The crystal is filled to death with a transparent compound, although it will work under water. There was just a handful of not particularly convenient LEDs lying around, purchased for next to nothing on occasion, even during the times of “initial accumulation of capital.” They are inconvenient, with a relatively weak glow and a very long-focus lens at the end. The angle of the field of view is quite narrow and from the side and in the light, sometimes you cannot see what is shining at all. Well, I got a battery from them.
First, of course, after conducting a series of simple experiments - I connected it to the tester and turned around on the street, in the shade, in the sun. The results seemed quite encouraging. Yes, you should remember that if you simply connect a multimeter to the legs of the LED, the results will not be particularly reliable - such a photocell will work on the input resistance of the voltmeter, and in modern digital devices it is very high. In a real scheme, the indicators will not be so brilliant.
Blank for printed circuit board. The battery was intended to be installed inside a greenhouse; the microclimate there is sometimes quite humid. Large holes for better “ventilation” and drainage of possible water drops. It should be said that fiberglass is a very abrasive material, drills become dull very quickly, and small ones, if drilled hand tools, they also break. You need to buy them with a reserve.
The printed circuit board is painted with bitumen varnish and etched in ferric chloride.
LEDs on a scarf, parallel-series connection.
The LEDs are bent slightly to the sides, from east to west, so that the current is generated more evenly during daylight hours.
The lenses on the LEDs are ground off to eliminate directionality. All under three layers of varnish, however, urethane, as expected, was not found, it had to be acrylic.
I cut out and bent the mount for the microammeter into place. I cut out the seat with a jewelry jigsaw. Spray painted it.