Researchers make key breakthrough on quest to develop new 'weed-zapping' tech: 'A potential alternative'Kristen Lawrence
The Cool DownMon, August 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM EDT
3 min read
Researchers make key breakthrough on quest to develop new 'weed-zapping' tech: 'A potential alternative'Standard weed control methods, such as herbicides and the use of machines, can damage the environment, but Cambridge University researchers have found "weed-zapping technologies" that use electricity could do the job just as well.
According to the Weed Science Society of America, which summarized the study
published in the journal Weed Science, the team found that a Zasso XPower electric weed-control machine mounted to a tractor was "shockingly effective" at managing weeds.
Since it doesn't leave chemical residues on crops or impact neighboring fields, it's a much more environmentally friendly solution to weed management. Plus, it can be applied to weeds in most weather, aside from rainy or extremely dry periods, as the electric current remains mostly on the outside of plants in wet conditions and may pose a fire risk when the current arcs.
No-Till Farmer explained that the XPower works by utilizing high-voltage electricity to destroy unwanted weeds and vegetation. The electric weeder features a 36-kilowatt generator, driven by the tractor's power takeoff, which supplies the electricity that flows into an applicator unit that contains six electrodes each.
When the tractor moves, the electrodes make contact with the weeds and transfer the current to the roots, where it's converted into heat energy within the plant's cells, effectively destroying them and preventing their regrowth.
In the study, Catherine Borger, Ph.D., lead researcher and weed science expert from the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, along with co-research scientist Miranda Slaven, tested the weed zapping machine in vineyards near Yallingup, Western Australia. The trials proved successful, and no grape vines were damaged in the process.
While Borger noted that electric weed control offers plenty of benefits compared to traditional methods, such as being nontoxic and having immediate effectiveness, it can take longer to apply and uses more fuel. But with electric tractors now becoming available, at least on a small scale, perhaps the latter problem can be solved easily in the future.
"Our results, being the first of their kind, highlighted electric weed control as a potential alternative to chemical use that can be integrated into weed management programs in winter and spring within a Mediterranean climate," the authors wrote.
"Electric weed control will be of particular importance for those where herbicide resistance is increasingly problematic and for organic growers," Borger added, per the WSSA.
As herbicides have been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, Parkinson's disease, and other serious health problems, this suggests that both farmers and the environment would benefit from the widespread adoption of electric weed control methods in the agriculture industry.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/researchers-key-breakthrough-quest-develop-210000763.html
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