The study of dielectric properties of Conocarpus tree (Conocarpus erectus) leaves over 100 Hz to 15 GHz frequency range

The Government of Gujarat (India) started imposing ban on future plantations of Conocarpus trees because it is harmful in nature. The dielectric constant ɛ’ and dielectric loss ɛ” of Conocarpus tree leaves have been measured over the 100 Hz − 2 MHz frequency range using a precision LCR Meter, and over frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 15 GHz using a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). The values of ɛ’ and ɛ” for the leaves are found to decrease as the moisture content (MC) in the leaves decreases at a given frequency of measurement. At lower frequencies, the value of ɛ΄ for the leaves decreases with increase in frequency from 100 Hz to 2 MHz. At 2 MHz, the values of ɛ’ and ɛ” are found to increase with increase moisture content in the leaves. For the leaves having higher moisture content, the ɛ” decreases rapidly with increase in frequency from 500 MHz to about 2 GHz, after which it starts to increase with increase in the frequency above 4 GHz, approaching towards relaxation peak of bulk water. Debye-Cole dual-dispersion dielectric model was used to calculate the values of ε’ and ε” of the vegetation leaves for various moisture contents (MC), and a good agreement is observed between measured values with the model predicted value.