Abstracts Book - IMRC 2018

• SF5-O010
STIMULATION BY ELECTRIC FIELDS OF THE GERMINATION AND
GROWTH OF MAIZE USING RuO2-Ta2O5 | Ti AND IrO2-Ta2O5 | Ti
ELECTRODES
Erika Bustos 1 , Jazmin Acuña 1 , Moisés Simón 1 , Gustavo Acosta Santoyo 1
1 Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Electroquímica, Science, Mexico.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cultivated plants widely used and
its applications have been confirmed mostly in agriculture and industry where
maize production may be an inexhaustible source of renewable products. Maize
cultivation is very often a difficult crop and because of this, it is necessary to develop
novel technologies which help enhance maize production and maize crop quality
(Staniak et al., 2011; Subhani et al., 2001; Galazka et al., 2010). Electro-culture or
electro-farming refers to the technique in which plants are stimulated using electric
fields in the soil using electrodes inserted directly into the soil to promote
electrokinetic processes such as electro migration of ions, electrophoresis of
charged particles and electro osmosis (Cameselle and Gouveia, 2013) that can
enhance germination rate and plant development (Figure 1), it has also been
reported that this technique can protect plants plagues and diseases due to
nutritional factors (Matthews, 1922). A variety of electrodes and electrode
arrangements have been tested to apply this technology both in laboratory and in
on site conditions using many types of soil and plants, and in our laboratory we
have proved the efficiency of IrO2Ta2O5 | Ti anodes coupled with Ti cathodes both
in 1D and 2D electrode configuration using Pelic Vertisol to test plant development
and seed germination employing a DC treatment in maize, rice (Tritricum sp.),
Lolium perenne, Arabidopsis thaliana, Mammillaria mathildae and Echinocactus
grusonii on which we have reached enhanced development rates when compared
with untreated plants both in germination and in plant height (Acosta-Santoyo et
al., 2016; Acosta-Santoyo et al. 2018). The aim of this study is to investigate the effect
of electro-culture on maize plants using RuO2-Ta2O5 | Ti and IrO2-Ta2O5 | Ti as
dimensional stable anodes prepared using an electrodeposition method and Ti as
cathodes to evaluate the effect of a DC electric field treatment on maize seeds and
plants.
Acknowledgment: To CONACyT by its finantial support to develop this
research.
Keywords: Germination, Maize, Electrodes
Presenting authors email: ebustos@cideteq.mx