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tion the experimental cotton plant possessed twice or three times as many pods as the control plant. The mean weight of the seeds and fibre was greater in the experimental plants also. In the case of sugar beet the yield and sugar content were increased, and in places near the negative pole the increase in sugar content was particularly high. The tomato yield was increased by 10-30%, and the chemical composition of the fruit was modified... The chloro- phyll content of these plants was always greater than that of the control... Corn plants absorbed twice as much nitrogen as control plants during the vegetative period... The transpiration of the experimental plant was higher than that of the control, especially in the evening. Reports that the characteristics acquired by the plants in electrically treated soil are transmitted by inheritance to the third generation are particularly interesting. "Under the influence of the electric current, the numerical pro- portions between hemp plants of different sexes was changed by comparison with the control to give an increased number of female plants by 20-25%, in connection with a reduction in the intensity of the oxidative processes in the plant tissues. "In 1935 it was found that both alternating and direct electric currents had a bactericidal action, and this also affected the soil microflora. When an electric current was used to disinfect the soil of seed beds from cabbage mildew, the number of bacteria-and fungi was considerably reduced (by 10 times or more in the case of of some species), while the population of actinomycetes was increased... "The stimulating action of the alternating was greatest when the current passed through the soil had a density of 0.5 mA/sq. cm... A direct current with density of 0.01 mA/sq. cm. had approximate- ly the same action. When these optimal current densities were used in hotbeds, the yield of green mass could be increased by 40%." 44+ 44+ Hien Voutace Wine WIGH- YorT GENERATOR €anm, oR WDROPONIC TANK branches, the roots or the soil. The treatment is best administered in the spring season. The length of treatment depends on the size and condition of the tree. After only one cycle of treatment, new shoots appeared on the branches. The bark was removed, and the trees began to bear fruit! Soviet researchers have reported that, “During the passage of an electric current through the soil, the physicochemical properties of the latter are modified, the content of assimilable nitrogen, phos- phorus and other substances is increased, evaporation is accelerat- ed, and the redistribution of water is modified at the poles. Under the influence of the electric current the degree of aggregation of the soil is increased, its permeability to moisture is improved, and its alkalinity is reduced. "The electric current stimulates the metabolism of seedlings, increases the intensity of their respiration and the activity of their hydrolytic enzymes, changes the soil pH, accclerates the brcak- down of complex organic substances (lipids, starch) to simpler substances (monosaccharides) used for nutrition of the growing embryo. "Short exposure of seeds to an electric current brings to an end the state of rest, speeds up development and increases the yield... Seeds with a low germination rate show a more marked effect... "Plants exposed to the action of the current developed more rapidly throughout the period of vegetation. At the end of vegeta- In a system using alternating current, great care must be taken to prevent electrocution of oneself and the plants. Alternating currents generally tend to retard plant growth except within certain narrow parameters of voltage and amperage. Dicotyledon plants increase in weight at low and high voltages (10 kV and 100 kV) but decrease in weight (as much as 45%) with voltages between 20 kV to 60 kV. Current flow should not exceed 0.7 x 10 amps per plant; higher currents retard plant growth. L. E. Murr used aluminium wire mesh electrodes chargedup to 60 kV and found that monocotyledons increase in dry weight in an electrostatic field, but decrease in weight in an oscillating field. The dry weight of dicots increases about 20% when grown in an alternating field, but decreases above 50 kV AC. There appears to be no benefit from continual exposure of plants to an altemating clec- trical field. If such a system is used, volt- ages should not exceed 10 kV, and the current must be very weak. However, if one can manage such a system, the results can be worthwhile. For example, in a similar system, the maximum energy supplicd was 50 watts (50 kVA mA) per acre for 6 hours daily for 6 months. The total cnergy supplied was less than 0.2% of the energy actually absorbed by the plants from sunlight alone. Only a fraction of this additional energy was available to plants, yet the ) increase in yields averaged about 20% —_— (up to 50%)! Furthermore, it was found MAGNET FIGURE 5: DE LAND'S “FROST-GUARD" macuet & cow macuet & cow YU Insouating SPACERS . 44! max. RAd_WS 40¢NEXUS SSF FIGURE 3: THE LAEMSTROM SYSTEM HIGH VOLTAGE A.C. SYSTEMS FEBRUARY - MARCH 1994