Experimental Study on Microwave Heating of Soil for Nematode Control

For the purpose of developing agrochemical-free pest control technology, effects of microwave irradiation on soil infected with nematodes were investigated using a beaker scale experimental setup. A 2.45 GHz microwave was irradiated to a soil sample in a glass container using a modified microwave oven. The species of nematode investigated was southern root-knot nematode. The number of nematodes survived after microwave irradiation was counted. The results clearly indicated that the number of survived nematodes decreases with increasing irradiation time. Temperature of the soil was monitored with a thermocouple during irradiation and showed that nematodes died at about 60-70. C.