I'll share some initial findings from our project, which explores the use of pulse electric fields to eliminate soil pests in hardwood nursery beds, with a particular focus on the impact on weed populations.

Pulse Electric Field as an Alternative to Methyl Bromide

Methyl bromide, a broad-spectrum pesticide for soil disinfection, weed control, and soilborne fungi and nematodes management, is also notorious for its ozone-depleting properties. Consequently, its usage in agriculture has been progressively phased out. Though some essential applications persist, the increasing costs and stringent regulatory standards have made it a less practical choice for pest control.

Pulse Electric Field...

Tong Zhen is a Ph.D. student in the Hanson Lab at UC Davis.

Non-chemical weed control usually is based on physical methods (e.g. tillage or mowing) or thermal methods such as propane flaming or steam. Electric Weed Control (EWC) is another thermal method that passes electrical current through target plants and the heat generated by electrical resistance damages plant cells. With funding from the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), we recently initiated new research with collaborators at Oregon State University and Cornell University to evaluate an electrical weed control device in orchard and berry crops.

From Page 13 of the Western Farm Press (May 2022) magazine

Electric weed control takes hold in orchards

By Lee Allen (Contributing writer)

Sometimes it takes a long time for an idea to be embraced by the public. Take electric weed control, a concept first patented in 1890, yet it hadn't received much attention until a few decades ago.

“Even if current ways still work, new ways are inevitable because they may...