Water quality and water management are very important in the horticulture industry, that's clear. During the Erfgoed WaterEvent, these were hot topics.
Erfgoed increasingly presenets itself as a supplier of fully integrated water systems. In other words, turnkey projects. Groundwork, logistics, water systems, water storage, irrigation systems, water disinfection, and, of course, cultivation floors, Cor Bremmer, operational directtor Erfgoed, sum up. "The starting point is always: how do we get optimal cultivation? And how do we get a uniform crop? That's what we want." Corné Verduijn, water systems manager Erfgoed adds: "We want to stand alongside our customers. Unburden them. Our Erfgoed computer is a good example of that. It allows us to look at their water system remotely with our customers."
Dick Breugem, Van Iperen. View all photos here (in Dutch).
Dick Breugem, Van Iperen, gave a talk on water hygiene. The water system largely determines water quality. His colleagues, who deal with water measurements on a daily basis, carry them out on-site. Water samples are examined both on-site and in the laboratory. They look at things like ATP, temperature, EC, pH, oxygen content, hydrogen peroxide, nitrite, and copper. Those elements are important to know where cultivation problems can be detected. And if the cause is known, it can be solved.
Oxygen in water
Oxygen in water is needed for root growth, respiration, and nutrient transport. When oxygen is lacking, harmful substances within the roots and root environment form rapidly—resulting in explosive growth of anaerobic bacteria and amplification of various stress responses.
"So when there is sufficient oxygen, we see the opposite: stronger roots, less infestation of roots by fungi and bacteria, and a healthier crop," Dick explains. "Keep the pipes clean," is his advice. And flush the pipes well before the first turn."
To prevent and dissolve biofilm, they see good results from a product containing hydrogen peroxide stabilized with silver chelate. When these come into contact with the bacteria, the cell walls are perforated and fall apart. This makes them inactive and therefore harmless.
Micha van Nieuwkerk, Van der Ende Group. See all photos here.
Micha van Nieuwkerk of Van der Ende Group took the stage after Dick. They divided water management into three parts: availability, recirculation, and discharge strategy. The model is designed to have sufficient water of good quality at the right time, at the lowest possible cost, and with as little (no) impact on the environment and climate as possible.
Van der Ende's solutions focus on water quality. "That quality is determined based on the following parameters: electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, acidity and basicity, water hardness, alkalinity, total undissolved solids, turbidity, total organic carbon, and finally chemical and biological oxygen consumption. If the quality of the water is not good enough, yo all kinds of risks emerge." Micha mentions a few of them: "Elements precipitate and cause blockages at high pH, HD nebulizers get clogged at high water hardness) or unwanted microorganisms grow in the silo due to incorrect biological oxygen consumption.
Chairman of the day Cock van Bommel. See all photos here (in Dutch).
Water quality problems require a solution. Each water stream requires its own approach. So choose the one that fits. "Often it results in a train of systems to achieve the desired result. The following 'wagons' can be part of the train: UV, ozone, heating, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, water softener, and partial filtration.
After the presentation, visitors moved to the information market. Albers Alligator, Van der Ende, Van Iperen, Netafim, Jaritech, ProMinent, Uvar Holland, Kemeling Kunststoffen, and Bucon presented there.
View the photo report here (in Dutch).
For more information:
Erfgoed
Bredeweg 59
2751 GH Moerkapelle, the Netherlands
T +31 (0)79 593 38 00
www.erfgoed.nl
[email protected]