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Microwave Protection of a Field Crop Against Cold

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R. G. Bosisio, N. Barthakur, J. Spooner · 1970

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Industrial-level 2.45 GHz microwave power successfully heated corn crops, requiring 24,000 times more power than typical home WiFi.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers used 2.4 kW of 2.45 GHz microwave radiation to successfully protect corn crops from freezing temperatures for 60 hours during a severe frost event. The microwave energy kept 90% of the corn plants alive and healthy despite temperatures dropping to -6°C (-21°F) and snow cover. This demonstrates that high-power microwave radiation can generate enough heat to protect agricultural crops from frost damage.

Why This Matters

This 1970 study reveals just how much microwave power it takes to generate meaningful biological effects. The researchers used 2.4 kilowatts of 2.45 GHz radiation - the same frequency as your microwave oven but at roughly 2,400 times the power output. Put simply, it took industrial-level microwave exposure to keep corn plants from freezing. What this means for you is perspective on everyday EMF exposure levels. Your home WiFi router operates at this same 2.45 GHz frequency but at around 100 milliwatts - about 24,000 times less power than what was needed for biological heating effects in this agricultural application. The reality is that while high-power microwave radiation clearly produces thermal effects, the power levels in our daily environment are orders of magnitude lower than what was required to protect crops from frost.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
R. G. Bosisio, N. Barthakur, J. Spooner (1970). Microwave Protection of a Field Crop Against Cold.
Show BibTeX
@article{microwave_protection_of_a_field_crop_against_cold_g6906,
  author = {R. G. Bosisio and N. Barthakur and J. Spooner},
  title = {Microwave Protection of a Field Crop Against Cold},
  year = {1970},
  
  
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, researchers successfully used 2.4 kW of 2.45 GHz microwave energy to protect corn crops from frost damage for 60 hours during temperatures as low as -6°C, keeping 90% of plants alive and healthy.
The study used 2.4 kilowatts of microwave power at 2.45 GHz frequency - approximately 24,000 times more powerful than a typical home WiFi router to generate enough heating effect for agricultural frost protection.
No, the researchers found that half an inch of snow covering the corn leaves did not hinder the microwave protection, suggesting that snowflakes have a low dielectric loss factor.
About 90% of the corn plants survived the 60-hour freeze protection. The 10% that died were positioned directly facing the prevailing wind directions from northeast and northwest.
The 2.4 kW agricultural microwave system operated at the same 2.45 GHz frequency as microwave ovens and WiFi, but used thousands of times more power than typical household wireless devices.