Build an Ultrasound Device for Plant Growth

[crockman1]

hi all, i am looking to build an ultrasound producing device that emits at 50,000 cps? i need a list of materials and how to construct the circuit. research shows that you can multiply the growth of plants (radishes were tested) by 150% if subjected to ultrsound at around 50,000 cps. thank you, any help will be appriciated!

 

[berkeman]

hi all, i am looking to build an ultrasound producing device that emits at 50,000 cps? i need a list of materials and how to construct the circuit. research shows that you can multiply the growth of plants (radishes were tested) by 150% if subjected to ultrsound at around 50,000 cps. thank you, any help will be appriciated!

Sounds interesting. Can you give us a link so we can read more about it?

How was the ultrasound coupled to the plants? Is it via the soil? or through the air to the leaves after the plant has already sprouted and started to grow? What did they use to make the ultrasound?

Is there mention of the safety aspects of the ultrasound exposure to humans working with the experiment? Safety considerations should be part of the design of the experiment.

 

[Calvadosser]

hi all, i am looking to build an ultrasound producing device that emits at 50,000 cps? i need a list of materials and how to construct the circuit. research shows that you can multiply the growth of plants (radishes were tested) by 150% if subjected to ultrsound at around 50,000 cps. thank you, any help will be appriciated!

Years back, for my student project, I needed an ultrsound transducer to produce a beam of sound in air at around 50 kHz. I built an electrostatic loudspeaker, which consisted of:

- a sheet of perforated metal (zinc in my case, because it could easily be bought locally) mounted in a wooden frame. Holes were about 2 mm dia.

- a layer of metalised plastic sheet. Similar sheet is sometimes used by florists for wrapping flowers.

- a layer of cotton wool several cm thick to keep the plastic sheet (its insulating side) pressed against the perforated metal.

A bias voltage of around 50 V was applied to the metalised side of the plastic via a 100k resistor, the perforated metal being earthed. The 50 kHz signal was applied, via a capacitor, to the metalised side of the plastic. It worked very effectively, producing a narrow beam of ultrasound easily detectable 50 feet away.

I hope this is helpful. My preconception is that ultrasound is equally as effective in accelerating the growth of plants as is singing to them. Maybe your project will disprove my preconception.

Martin

 

[jataadroid]

Hey,
New to the forums and advanced physics, so excited to see what this forum has to offer. Its great to see someone else who is researching this also. I've been intensely looking into this subject. The name I've stuck with when talkin about this is Plant Resonance Therapy. I don't have all the details in place but the process is similar to what lab techs use to remove minute particles from cells and other material for study. It also works in reverse, which is why your plants will show amazing growth. Increased nutrient intake is always great BUT at what cost. You arent just exposing the plant to ultrasound wave but the material in and round the plant. Causing free radical to run rampent due to molecule splits because of sonication. I will be starting a new thread that has to do with sonication questions that I have. Device models are readily available through google search. Verify which freq. is best. Varying ultrasound freq. have different effects on the many cycles and materials of a plant.

 

[Bobbywhy]

An introduction to RESONANCE THERAPY

By Dr. Franz Lutz, Director of IRT and Matthew Cross, President of Leadership Alliance
BACKGROUND.

Various European governments and landowners report that forests that were once dying are now being miraculously rejuvenated. Farmers report measurable increases in crop yields and livestock reproduction. People visiting and living on treated land areas experience enhanced well-being and a greater sense of community. What is going on here?

http://www.leadershipalliance.com/resonance.htm


When I see the word "miraculously" in an announcement its time to leave.

 

[berkeman]

Just a reminder to everybody that we deal with mainstream science here on the PF. I'm heading out of town for the holiday weekend, but will try to read the link (and any other reputable links folks want to provide) when I get back. Feel free to use the "Report" button if fringe science gets posted.

 

[Bobbywhy]

From Mother Earth News:

“The report I ran across discussed the effects of bathing radishes in ultrasound. One flat of seeds was placed in an environmentally controlled chamber with 50,000 CPS ultrasound piped in at an output of about one watt; the second group (called a control) was set in an identical chamber but did not receive exposure to ultrasound. Artificial lighting was switched on in both chambers for 12 hours each day (during which time the experimental flat received ultrasound). Both groups were watered and cared for equally.

After about seven days, the seeds in both trays began to sprout. One week is just about the normal germination period for radishes, so up to that point in the experiment, ultrasound didn't seem to offer any benefit.

It soon became apparent, though, that the seedlings receiving ultrasound treatment were growing much more rapidly than their control counterparts. In fact, by the fourteenth day the experimental plants were half again as tall as the ones in the "quiet" chamber.

The experiment continued for 28 days, the same period of time used in the photovoltaic root stimulation tests. By the end of the test, the plants treated with ultrasonic vibrations had grown an average of 87% taller than their control cousins. (The actual growth rates are shown in graphic form in Fig. 2.) Repetitions of the experiment were run to confirm the initial results, and some of the later tests showed growth rate increases of as much as 150%!

It isn't exactly clear why ultrasound stimulates plant growth. Evidence seems to support the theory that the sound acts as a catalyst, activating the production of plant hormones called auxins. As was the case with photovoltaic root stimulation, however, concrete explanations will have to wait for further research.”

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1984-05-01/High-Frequency-Sound-Uses.aspx#ixzz1eZeKJVtl

From: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1984-05-01/High-Frequency-Sound-Uses.aspx

Here is a report that reinforces the positive effects of ultrasound on plants:

“Beneficial effects of ultrasound on plants—a review
A.G. Gordona, b
a Forestry Commission Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey, UK,
b Formerly at the Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Canada
Available online 2 October 2002.

Abstract

A significantly beneficial effect of ultrasound can be produced in plant material, but it is clear that the causes of, and inconsistencies in, the effect are barely understood.”

From: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0041624X71901247

I also found this report where insonification by ultrasound caused damage to plant roots:

From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2149298/

I am not qualified to say this is "mainstream science", but I remain skeptical.

 

[crockman1]

Hey,
New to the forums and advanced physics, so excited to see what this forum has to offer. Its great to see someone else who is researching this also. I've been intensely looking into this subject. The name I've stuck with when talkin about this is Plant Resonance Therapy. I don't have all the details in place but the process is similar to what lab techs use to remove minute particles from cells and other material for study. It also works in reverse, which is why your plants will show amazing growth. Increased nutrient intake is always great BUT at what cost. You arent just exposing the plant to ultrasound wave but the material in and round the plant. Causing free radical to run rampent due to molecule splits because of sonication. I will be starting a new thread that has to do with sonication questions that I have. Device models are readily available through google search. Verify which freq. is best. Varying ultrasound freq. have different effects on the many cycles and materials of a plant.

try beaming ultrasound from piezoelectric transducers! you can buy them from radioshack for a low price. i suggest taking them out of the plastic shell to expose the bare module, as it seems this would help.