2024-01-03 17:07:19
Swedish researchers have developed a bioelectronic soil that can boost the growth of plants in soilless cultivation. A new step towards the agriculture of the future?
If you have any interest in the agriculture of tomorrow, you may already be familiar with hydroponics. You know, that type of culture where the plants do not grow in the ground, but on elaborate structures in a neutral substrate (like sand, clay balls or rock wool). If the image of these rows of greenery, in greenhouses where everything is controlled (light, humidity, temperature, nutrient supply) may recall a science fiction dystopia, the technique is far from being new, and dates back to hanging gardens of Babylon.
What is new, however, is the “bioelectronic soil” developed by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. How it works ? By electrically stimulating the roots of plants and their environment at low voltage (approximately 0.5 V).
eSoil is composed of organic substances and a conductive polymer, PEDOT, or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for the more scientific. Its main component is cellulose, a well-known biopolymer, because it makes up wood, paper, or natural textiles (hemp, linen, cotton).
Electrocuting plants may seem strange and counterproductive, but during their 15-day study on barley production, Swedish researchers observed an obvious increase of 50% on average in plant growth. It seems that electrical stimulation allowed the barley to better process the nutrients available to it, mainly nitrogen.
What advantages?
This study opens many possibilities for improving crop yield in a sustainable manner. Indeed, hydroponics is often cited as an alternative to our traditional agriculture. Its use is particularly appreciated in cities, in order to bring production closer to consumers and thus reduce transport distances, while greening urban spaces.
For the Linköping researchers, “regions where arable land is limited, soil quality is poor and environmental conditions are difficult can benefit from hydroponic food production.” Problems that are increasingly present in our societies with global warming.
It remains to be seen whether a tomato grown by electrical stimulation has the same taste and the same nutrients as one grown in a field or in your vegetable garden.
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