Complex Permittivity Measurements of the Colorado Potato Beetle Using Coaxial Probe Techniques

Examining the effectiveness of microwave energy for control of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) in potato crops begins with an investigation of the dielectric properties of the insect and plant. This paper presents the measured complex permittivity of the CPB and potato plant over the frequency range 100 MHz to 26.5 GHz obtained using coaxial probes and an automatic network analyzer. Specific measurements include the beetle prothorax, thorax, and abdomen as well as the plant leaflet, petiole and stem. An RMS error of less than 0.79 is obtained for both the real and imaginary permittivity over the bandfor measurements of 0.1 M saline, similar errors are expected for the biological samples.