Chinese researchers are reporting that applying an electric field to pea plants enhanced yields. This process — understood as electroculture — has been evaluated several times, however in each situation there are irregularities in the scientific process, so there is still an chance for managed research study to create meaningful data.
This recent research study utilized two plots of peas planted from the exact same pods. The plants were tended identically except one plot was stimulated by an electric field. The produce on the stimulated plot was about 20% much more than the manage plot.
The actual paper is paywalled in the journal Nature Food, however the concept seems easy enough. If you browse for the topic, you’ll discover there have been other studies with similar findings. There are likewise anecdotal reports of electrical plant stimulation going back to 1746.
The researchers can’t offer an explanation for why this would work. They did, however, utilize a book technique for generating electrical power by harvesting energy from the atmosphere with devices they state costs about $40. From the diagram, it appears like a windmill-operated Wimshurst device that scrubs rabbit fur against some plastic. We envision this would make a decent high institution science project.
We’ve heard that electrical stimulation makes nerves grow, so why not pea plants? Or even, say, all your nerves?