Swedish developers have created an electronic soil that accelerates the development of grain crops by 50%

A research group at Linköping University's Organic Electronics Laboratory has developed the eSoil substrate for hydroponic cultivation. Barley seedlings grew 50% more in 15 days thanks to electrical stimulation of the roots, reports Psyc.org. Mineral wool is usually used as a substrate for hydroponic cultivation. Not only is it non-degradable, but it is produced using a very energy-intensive process. eSoil electronic cultivation substrate is made from cellulose, the most common biopolymer, mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. This combination was first used for growing plants. The researchers used high voltage to stimulate the roots. The advantage of this "ground" is that it has very low power consumption and does not contain the danger of high voltage. We can make seedlings grow faster using fewer resources. We don't yet know how it actually works, which biological mechanisms are involved. We found out that seedlings absorb nitrogen more efficiently, but it is not yet ...