Development of weed control systems using electrostatic fields and applied to electrostatic herbicidal Fence

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06299
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 41030:Rural environmental engineering and planning-related
• Research Institution: Kindai University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuda Yoshinori 近畿大学, 農学部, 教授 (30268453)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 除草システム / 蔓性雑草 / 葛 / 静電気 / 電気牧柵器 / 有機農業 / 無農薬

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I developed a simple electrostatic method of suppressing the invasive growth of kudzu vines as an alternative to the use of herbicides for weed control. Exposure of the vine apex to a high-voltage arc discharge was the focal point of the study. To achieve this, I constructed a ladder-shaped apparatus by arranging several parallel copper rods at specific intervals in an insulating frame. The top rod was linked to a direct current voltage generator and pulse-charged at 10 kV, and the remaining rods were linked to a grounded line. Because of the conductive nature of the grounded vine body, the vine climbing along the grounded rods was subjected to a pulsed arc discharge from the charged rod when its apex entered the electric field produced around the charged rod. This destroyed the tip growing point and prevented vine elongation. A simplified weed control apparatus was developed that can be fabricated for practical use from inexpensive, ready-made materials.

Free Research Field

環境工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

クズは秋の七草のひとつとされているが、農地や植林に侵入すると、作物や樹木に巻き付いて覆いかぶさり、被害を及ぼす有害雑草である。日本の農業において、その被害額は数十億円と推定されており、さらに、公共緑地を含むと二百億円以上になると考えられている。被害を受けている公共緑地としては、道路や線路わき、用水路や側溝、電柱や高圧鉄塔などがあり、メガソーラー施設にも被害が出ている。また、電柱を登って電線に巻き付き、その重さで電線を切断する被害なども報告されている。その対策としては、除草剤の開発が中心であり、本申請では、静電気を利用した新規の除草システムを確立した。