RF magnetic induction pest controller for cabbage stem flea beetle control - commercial prototype

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There is an acute need for an affordable, long-term solution to the escalating problems of invertebrate pest control in horticulture and agriculture, and magnetic induction heating can provide a resolution. Although invertebrates are small-sized poor electrical conductors, they are hundreds of times more electrically conductive than plants, and so induction heating rates are proportionately higher.RF magnetic induction heating for pest control (MIHPC) is an innovative game-changer uniquely offering a sustainable, cost-effective and precisely-targeted one-stop treatment to replace a broad spectrum of insecticides and molluscicides. MIHPC can kill insects inside plants without using chemicals. Pests can be rapidly killed, yet plants remain unaffected. With no toxins, the big gains will be its target specificity; MIHPC is safe outside its narrowly-focused treatment-zone; MIHPC is appropriate for unmanned vehicles, can be used in any weather condition, and pests will not build up resistance.Our team has proven the concept of MIHPC at full-scale, even though the frequencies and mobility required for this application extends well beyond what is currently considered normal for traditional induction heaters, developing our own pioneering megahertz-frequency induction heating technology.This 18-month lab-based study will test the feasibility of packaging the power electronics and build a RF magnetic field generator for a commercial demonstrator to target cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) in winter oilseed rape (OSR). The suspension of the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments for OSR has created a problem in treating CSFB. Subsequently, farmers have struggled to profitably produce OSR because the cost of the loss by CSFB, and the area planted in the UK has been halved. CSFB in OSR has therefore been identified as an internationally significant target market for our technology. MIHPC units could be fitted to a robot and worked 24 hrs/day in all weathers and at any time of the year. In order to knock the CSFB population down, MIHPC makes possible the option to treat the larval stage, which tunnel into the stems and then cause extensive damage. An infested plant may contain over 30 larvae, and they are sitting targets. The project is formed from a partnership between one micro-SME and two academics. It will be pushing hard at the boundaries of magnetics technology and generate valuable world-wide intellectual property.