Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8: Electroculture And Soil
Bacteria
Thoughwehavealreadydescribedseveralbenefitsofapplyingelectricitytosoilsandplants,
many more benefits can be realized. For example, the application of electricity to bacterial
populations naturally present in soils can drastically improve the rate that they transform
nutrients which are normally unavailable to plants into more usable forms. This chapter will
cover the effects of electricity on microbes, and the potential benefits of doing so.
It is well known that the various forms of bacteria living in soil provides a number of
benefits for plants and soils alike. One form of bacteria called
Rhizobium
lives in the roots
of the nitrogen-fixing plants (like peas and beans). While they start off with living in the
soil,atsomepointtheyattachthemselvestoplantrootsandcreatesswellingscallednodules.
Fromhere,theygotoworkconvertinggaseousnitrogenlockedinthesoil'sair-spacesintoa
mineralizedformthatplantscanabsorb.Researchintotheeffectsofelectricityuponbacteria
suggests the following:
• Bacteria can be manipulated by electric fields.
• Bacteria can be disseminated underground via electro-osmosis and electrophoresis.
• Electric fields increase bacterial metabolic activity.
• Electric fields accelerate bacterial reproductive cycles.
Microbial Transport Effects
Charged particles which include microorganisms may be affected by two processes:
• Electro-osmosis
• Electrophoresis
Electro-osmosis, if you remember from before, is the mechanism that describes how water,
in a porous environment, can be forced to move or flow within an electric field. When
waterflowsinthismanner,themovementsofpositively-chargedmicrobesarealsoaffected,
resulting in a net flow of water and microbes in the same direction, towards the negative
electrode.
