Microwave Heat Disturbance Alters Microbial Communities of Different Soil Origins

Weeds reduce agricultural productivity by consuming resources destined for crops. Recently, the deactivation of weed seedbanks by microwave (MW) radiation has been developed as a chemical-free weed management practice, however these extreme heat disturbances may permanently alter the soil microbiome and impair its ability to perform key ecosystem services. In order to quantify the immediate and short-term effect of MW soil heating on the soil microbiome, we performed a microcosm experiment in which we exposed agricultural soils with high and low arsenic concentrations to MW heating and monitored the bacterial community for 56 days thereafter.