It is becoming more and more important: preventing disease via the water. Agrozone, too, notices this, says Roy Imming. It does not surprise him, as technology is creating more and more possibilities.
Agrozone is an expert in the field of ozone technology, i.e. the method used to treat and enrich water, and expects to launch a further developed in-line water treatment installation on the market soon.
Diseases are the nightmare of every greenhouse grower. You can have your entire business set up to be as sterile or A1 as possible, and even then you can suddenly detect a virus in the crop. In this article, Roy explains how water can help fight diseases.
Water circulation is becoming the norm
Before heading headlong into details, it is useful to know how greenhouse horticulture will deal with water after 2027. The Dutch Water Framework Directive states that the sector must be completely emission-free by 2027, meaning no more water may be dumped any longer. The only solution at hand? Water circulation: not a drop of water leaves the greenhouse and all water must be reused. However, this does bring some challenges with it.
Not only the good substances are reused
When the plants have been watered, the drain water is returned to the silo, the basin, or the slurry tank. Without the intervention of a disinfector, this would mean that fertilizers or pesticides would also be returned to the source. Moreover, the spread of viruses and fungi is also a real danger. A disinfector is, therefore, a necessity, according to Roy. They have been used for years and help the grower to get clean water, but are these filters really 100% pure?
Extra tool to prevent disease
Agrozone has developed a system that drastically reduces disease pressure in crops. This application (ozone technology) not only filters the water used, it also adds oxygen to it, Roy explains. "In this way, you disinfect the water, which leads to a lower risk of diseases in the roots, and, not unimportant, by adding oxygen you get much more out of the crop. It pays off twice.
Roy invites companies for a water scan and for a talk to tell them more about ozone technology. He says: "Various studies have shown that ozone technology is going to be the only right solution for growers. 2027 is closer than we think, so now is the time to act."
For more information: 
Roy Imming
Agrozone
rim@agrozone.nl
www.agrozone.nl