New wide-area radio frequency heating method for killing agricultural pests

杀灭农业害虫的广域射频加热新方法

• 批准号: 103309
• 金额: $ 9.11万
• 依托单位: PERPETUAL RESEARCH CONSULTANCY LTD.
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=103309
• 关键词: New; wide; area; radio; frequency

The costs of the harm resulting from pesticides are significant. These are often hidden, long term and underestimated. The world pesticides industry is valued at US$52 billion, and the costs of harm have recently been assessed to be similar. Pesticide use might now therefore have outreached its benefits. Oilseed rape (OSR) growers in particular are progressively suffering loss of crops due to slugs and cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) attacking new growth "with terminator-like determination" as effective pesticidal treatments are becoming increasingly limited: CSFB have resistance to pyrethroids, and neonicotinoid-treated seed cannot be planted following the imposed restrictions; metaldehyde, the main organic compound used against slugs, is leaching into waterways, with water quality standards being compromised. This problem of crop loss is discouraging farmers from growing OSR, with a decrease of 20% in area of OSR planted. This project's goal is to prove the concept of using a new wide-area radio frequency heating method to kill invertebrates without recourse to pesticides, yet leaving the plants undamaged. If successful, the concept will provide a lasting solution to CSFB and slug control, and reverse the trend in decreasing OSR planting.

杀虫剂造成的危害的代价是巨大的。这些往往是隐藏的、长期的、被低估的。世界农药工业的价值为520亿美元，最近评估的危害成本也大致相同。因此，农药的使用现在可能已经超过了它的好处。由于有效的农药治疗变得越来越有限，尤其是油菜（OSR）种植者，由于蛞蝓和白菜茎跳蚤甲虫（CSFB）以“像杀菌者一样的决心”攻击新生长的作物，作物损失日益严重：CSFB对拟除虫菊酯具有抗性，而且经新烟碱类处理的种子不能按照规定的限制种植；用于对付蛞蝓的主要有机化合物三聚乙醛正在渗入水道，导致水质标准受到影响。作物损失的问题使农民不愿种植OSR， OSR的种植面积减少了20%。该项目的目标是证明使用一种新的广域射频加热方法杀死无脊椎动物而不使用杀虫剂，同时不损害植物的概念。如果成功，该概念将为CSFB和段塞流控制提供持久的解决方案，并扭转OSR种植减少的趋势。