Microwave-assisted germination of cucumbers under low-temperature hydroponics environment

Recently, microwave technology has drawn considerable interests not only in wireless communication systems, but also in wireless power transmissions[1], chemical reactions, and heating systems[2-3]. We are currently exploring the effects of microwave illumination upon plant growth. Different from conventional oil-based greenhouse heating systems, in which the heated air tends to stay in the ceiling area of the greenhouse, far from the plants to be heated, microwaves can directly heat the target plants by controlling radiation patterns of antenna arrays, leading to reduce the amount of energy consumption. This paper demonstrates that germination of cucumber seeds, placed under low-temperature environment, is promoted by a 2.45GHz, 50W microwave illumination.