Microwave Soil Treatment Alters Soil Biota

摘要

Microwave soil treatment for weed suppression and crop growth has been evaluated for the past decade in Australia. Numerous studies have reported a profound effect of pre-sowing microwave soil irradiation on weed seed emergence and subsequent crop growth and yield. In the case of pre-emergence weed management, this rapidly increases the soil temperature and devitalises the weed seedbank by generating micro-steam explosions in the seeds, leading to their mortality in the top soil horizons, and thus preventing the emergence of weeds. Soil is a complex heterogeneous environment, harboring a wealth of bacteria, fungi, protozoans, nematodes, and arthropods, which may be adversely affected by the MW soil treatment. However, the influence of microwave (2.45 GHz) soil treatment on soil bacterial communities is unclear. Therefore, a microcosm study was conducted to examine the effect of microwave soil treatment on soil bacterial communities.