Micromachined Tools Using Acoustic Wave Triggering for the Interaction with the Growth of Plant Biological Systems

Abstract

A plant biological system is exposed to external influences. In general, each plant has its characteristics and needs with specific interaction mechanisms adapted to its survival. Interactions between systems can be examined and modeled as energy exchanges of mechanical, chemical or electrical variables. Thus, each specific interaction can be examined by triggering the system via a specific stimulus. The objective of this work was to study a specific stimulus (mechanical stimulation) as a driver of plants and their interaction with the environment. In particular, the experimental design concerns the setting up and testing of an automatic source of mechanical stimuli at different wavelengths, generated by an electromechanical transducer, to induce a micro-interaction in plants (or in parts of them) that produces a specific behavior (hypothesis) of plants. Four different experimental setups were developed for this work, each pursuing the same objective: the analysis of the germination process induced by stimulation by sound waves in the audible range. It can be said that the introduction of sound waves as a stimulant or a brake for the growth of plants can offer significant advantages when used on a large scale in the primary sector, since these effects can be used instead of polluting chemical solutions.

Keywords

• plant biological system
• acoustic wave
• mechanical growth stimulation