Lightning-zapped plants could boost food yields

[n2doc]

New research finds that mushrooms and some vegetables multiply rapidly when struck by lightning.
By Bryan Nelson
Fri, Apr 09 2010 at 11:20 PM EST

Japanese farming lore has long observed that plentiful mushroom harvests tend to follow thunderstorms. Now researchers at Iwate University in northern Japan have confirmed the legend, finding that some mushrooms more than double their yields when jolted by electricity.


The results could lead to new harvesting methods which would significantly increase food production. That's good news for a Japanese food industry where mushrooms are a popular staple, and where around 50,000 tons of mushrooms must be imported a year, mainly from China and South Korea, just to meet the high demand.

The study reached its conclusions after four years of bombarding mushrooms with artificially induced lightning, reports National Geographic. Ten varieties of mushroom were tested, and eight of those species responded by growing at an increased rate when electrified. The fungi reacted best when exposed to between 50,000 and 100,000 volts for one ten-millionth of a second.

Researchers were able to get the shiitake crop to yield double the amount usually harvested, but the best performing species were nameko mushrooms, which produced a whopping 80 percent more mushrooms.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/lightning-powered-mushrooms-could-boost-food-yields

[DefenseLawyer]

1. I thought it was electrolytes that plants crave.

[Purveyor]

2. Nitrogen. Thats what we corn farmers look for from lightning. eom

[pinboy3niner]

3. Are they using fuzzy math?

According to the last sentence of the posted excerpt, shiitake yield doubled, but nameko yield increased by 80 percent (and is called "best performing"???). And I thought 200 percent beat 180 percent.:eyes:

[ashling]

4. Japanese Mushrooms - tastee

[Ian David]

5. Careful...