The world's largest experiment on the effect of electric techniques for plant growth, conducted by the Chinese government, has produced findings that could have a profound impact on the future of farming. The study, carried out over more than three decades, found that growing vegetables in greenhouses under high-frequency bare copper wires placed three metres overhead increased growth output by between 20% and 30%, while reducing the use of fertilisers by a similar amount and almost eliminating the use of pesticides. In an article published today in Nature Communications, researchers from China Agricultural University (CAU), Tsinghua University, Nanjing Forestry Science & Technology College, and Wuhan Institute of Botany report their results after conducting experiments with plants grown
The world's largest experiment on the effect of electric techniques for plant growth, conducted by the Chinese government, has produced findings that could have a profound impact on the future of farming. The study, carried out over more than three decades, found that growing vegetables in greenhouses under high-frequency bare copper wires placed three metres overhead increased growth output by between 20% and 30%, while reducing the use of fertilisers by a similar amount and almost eliminating the use of pesticides. The electricity was found to kill bacteria and diseases in the air while doing no harm to the plants.