A Promising Physical Pest-Control System Demonstrated in a Greenhouse Equipped With Simple Electrostatic Devices That Excluded All Insect Pests: A Review

Abstract

Applied electrostatic engineering can be used to construct greenhouses that prevent entry of insect pests. Two types of electric field screen were used to exclude pests from the greenhouse: single- and double-charged dipolar electric field screens (S- and D-screen, respectively). The S-screen consisted of iron insulated conductor wires (ICWs) arrayed in parallel (ICW-layer), a grounded metal net on either side of the ICW-layer, and a direct current voltage generator. S-screens were attached to the side windows of the greenhouse to repel whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) that approached the nets. The D-screen was installed in a small anteroom at the greenhouse entrance to capture whiteflies entering through it. The ICW-layers of the D-screen were oppositely charged with equal voltages and arrayed alternately, and an insulator board or grounded metal net was placed on one side of the ICW-layer. The ICW-layers captured whiteflies entering the electric field of the double-charged dipolar electric field. Three screens equipped with yellow or gray boards or a grounded metal net were installed in the anteroom based on the airflow inside the room, as most whiteflies were brought in by air when the door was opened. Two D-screens with boards were useful for directing the airflow toward the wall with the netted D-screen. This screen eliminated the insects and the pest-free air was circulated inside the greenhouse. The D-screen with the yellow board attracted the whiteflies and was effective for trapping them when there was no wind. Our method kept the greenhouse pest-free throughout the entire period of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation.

Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management

“…However, a conflict exists between adequate ventilation and the small mesh size required for the exclusion of B. tabaci. Thus, an electric field screen has proven successful in the "repel and/or capture" of B. tabaci on tomato crops in ventilated greenhouses [154][155][156][157][158][159].…”

Insect Physical Control: Electric Field-Based Pest Management Approach

“…The two types of electric field screen used for insect capture were first reported in 2008 [4] and 2011 [5]. Subsequently, the focus of electric field screen research has been to (1) explain the mechanisms of insect capture [9][10][11][12], (2) devise practical applications to pest control [13][14][15][16][17], and (3) develop electric field screen devices for pest control [18][19][20][21][22]. These works provide an experimental basis for an alternative to conventional pest control.…”

Electrostatic Techniques for Physically Managing Pathogens, Insect Pests, and Weeds in Field and Greenhouse Cropping Systems

“…The most notable feature of these electric field-based devices is their straightforward design, which allows ordinary workers to construct them inexpensively using readily available materials or modifying them as required. Electrostatic traps have demonstrated practicality in preventing wind-borne pathogen spores and flying insect pests from infiltrating greenhouses [12] and in monitoring their spatial and temporal patterns to design safe crop production areas [13]. Safe arcing devices can also serve as practical tools for simultaneously eliminating weeds and insect pests emerging from crop fields [14].…”