Water first, the rest comes later. That saying would fit well with Acqua Universo, a Schipluiden-based supplier of water treatment equipment. The company specializes in 'vitalizing' water. In this article Ineke Moerman explains what vitalizing water is and what it does for crops.
"In the Netherlands, we have a privilege; we can drink water from the tap. However, the water we drink is highly 'processed' to become drinking water." She says this is because with every processing, a product, and water gets further away from its origin.
"Drinking water for domestic use goes through a process where it is exposed to non-natural factors. This is also true of water used in horticulture. Water is forced through pipes, is exposed to UV, goes through osmosis, is filtered, and passes through pumps. All processing steps", states Ineke.
The bottom line is that water in civilian systems is exposed to different conditions than in nature. "This has a demonstrable effect on water, making it less vital. That is, lower bioavailability has lesser solubility."
Better communication in plant processes
Acqua Universo has a technology to restore treated water. "So that it becomes vital again." Using special equipment, Acqua Universo tunes the production process with specific harmonic electromagnetic frequencies. "Due to the properties of water, it reacts to our frequencies, changing from a state of de-coherence to coherence or consistency. This transforms the processed water, which has no state of coherence, to a state of coherence, and the water is vitalized again."
Photo right: The vitaliser for greenhouse farming is customized depending on the flow rate of the pipe supplying the water to the greenhouse.
Vital water is internally coherent and geometrically structured. Under a microscope, it can be seen. "The amount and distribution of minerals in the water are different. Vital water supports the flows of energy and information. It conducts signals and facilitates communication in living beings." Including plants, research shows.
Practical research
The special water has positive effects on crop growth, studies have shown. However, it is not a cure-all. "We have learned to settle for less processed water," Ineke argues.
She points to real-world results. These include root development in the stone wool substrate when growing fruiting vegetables and germination rates. The root development when using vitalized water is better, and the germination rate is higher. "This has been monitored in several years over four seasons," Ineke indicates.
What stood out in the trial at Beekenkamp in Maasdijk was that the starting material in the propagation became more uniform in length and width, and in the propagation of tomatoes on rockwool, it was noticeable that the plants not treated with vital water left more elements in the nutrient solution than the vital plants. "Taking EC into account, most elements remain in proportion," Ineke reveals. "But when the nutrients are better absorbed through vital water, you see a change in the composition of EC in the water."
In recent weeks, a trial of lettuce on water, using vital and non-vital water, has been rolled out by students at World Horti Center. "There is interest in the possibilities of and with water present," he says.
Better uptake by plant
Vitalizing water changes the way water molecules interact with each other and with electromagnetic fields, explains the water specialist. This translates into better solubility, among other things. "Fertilisers will no longer be clustered and not dissolve well but will be finely distributed. We can measure this in various ways, including through microscopic examination, but also in field trials where the nutritional state in the pot and mat is examined."
As a result, Acqua Universo sees opportunities for growers to reduce the use of fertilizers and also water-soluble crop protection agents. This is because crops are better able to extract the substances present in the water.
Resilience
The crop that absorbs more elements is better nourished and stronger. A stronger plant is also more resilient to diseases, pests, and climate stress. A trial of how tomato plants cope with the greenhouse climate shows this. There, vital water was used to increase the brix of the fruit and the yield. The plants treated with vital water were better able to cope with the heat. Leaf temperature in the treated crop was lower.
"This difference is mainly caused by plant cooling. The leaf temperature difference between treatment and control is about 10 °Celsius. It is therefore very plausible that the stomata of the treated plant were still open on this day, enabling the plant to cool away some of the heat."
Ineke notes that there is a lot of knowledge about water, but it is still "an unknown liquid" for many, with "especially in terms of what actions do to water and water reacts to the environment. "People talk a lot about good nutrition, but the role of water is often skipped. From the water, everything is created. With water, a difference can be made." Acqua Universo is trying to make this clear to horticulture but also to the home consumer and livestock industry.
Trial results from 2012
For more information:
Ineke Moerman 
Acqua Universo
ineke@acquauniverso.nl
info@acquauniverso.nl
www.acquauniverso.nl