The significance of microwaves in the environment and its effect on plants

Wireless technologies are becoming popular due to convenient lower implementation costs and operational costs compared with wired technologies. Various wireless internet and communication technologies, such as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) and long-term evolution (LTE), are expanding rapidly. As with mobile phones, all of these technologies operate using high-frequency electromagnetic waves in the microwave category (3 × 10 2 – 3 × 10 6 MHz). An increasing number of operators within a geographical area is resulting in high microwave densities in the environment. At the same time, wireless technologies are now utilizing radio frequency electromagnetic radiation of up to 5500 MHz, and frequency spectrum allocation tables indicate that countries have allocated additional high frequencies for broadcasting purposes. Scientists have widely investigated the effects of microwaves on humans and animals, and some findings confirm that such effects exist. In comparison, a very limited number of published studies have addressed the effects of microwaves on plants. The findings of these studies indicate that the effects of microwaves on plants depend on the plant family and growth stage involved as well as the exposure duration, frequency, and power density, among other factors. However, the number of published studies is not yet sufficient to support drawing strong conclusions regarding the effects of microwaves on whole plant communities. Therefore, further studies are necessary to support present findings and uncover new findings.