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Problems Faced
If you are an agriculturist who is growing vegetable crops or flowers, you might face various challenges in your operations
Oxygen is an essential element for plant cells to carry out cellular respiration. With lower levels of total dissolved oxygen (TDO), roots
and plant tissues absorb water less readily as compared to water with high dissolved oxygen content. Furthermore, if water used for
irrigation contains high levels of bacteria, the quality, development and health of agricultural crops will be significantly affected.
The conventional solution is to use chemicals and biocides but it might cause undesirable effects such as corrosion or burning of leaves
and petals if there was to be an over dosage of chemicals. Wide fluctuations in pH level also have negative impacts on crop development.
When irrigation water exhibits wide variation in pH level, the common practice is add chemicals to exercise control. In agriculture
operations, there is often a need to add large amount of fertilizers and nutrients in order to enhance the development of crops.
However, the use of chemicals, artificial nutrients and fertilizers will increase operating costs and reduce the quality of water.
In conventional soil farming, there is usually a central catchment area to store ground or rain water that is meant for irrigation purposes. After irrigation, water that is unabsorbed is drained through the soil and into the underground water system that channels water into the catchment area. Unabsorbed water usually carries residual nutrients, fertilizers and pesticides. As the cycle continues over time, water in the central catchment area is highly contaminated and becomes unsuitable for irrigation purposes.
Solutions
The installation of the DPA system in irrigation systems has culminated in various advantages for agriculturists.
Measurements have shown that the total dissolved oxygen levels (TDO) have increased. Observation and test trials demonstrate that bacterial growth can be controlled. The level of bacteria in irrigation water is much lower comparing to employing conventional biocide methods.
Many farm owners and nurserymen are concerned with varying levels of pH. But after the DPA system has been installed, it has been observed that the pH level tends to stabilize as the bacteria count falls and dissolved oxygen increases. The solubility of water has also increased. This lets you reduce the fertilizer and nutrient amounts and still achieve the same efficacy. SIF Technologies has successfully reduced use of soluble chemicals by up to 50% and powdered fertilizers by up to 30 – 40%. This is especially helpful to agriculturists who employ water farming methods.
SIF Technologies has been able to recycle ground and rainwater to help agriculturists achieve greater cost savings. DPA System makes the water more reusable through a) reduction in the usage of fertilizers and pesticides and b) lowering its bacteria count. In our past projects, SIF Technologies has helped clients in the Agriculture sector prolong the shelf life of vegetables by almost 2 times. The vase life of cut flowers (Orchid) has been prolonged by 67%. Crop size was also registered to be 25% larger and more importantly for the agriculture farmers, the weight increased by 40%.
For more details, please refer to our case studies
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