Tomato propagator improves yield by disinfecting irrigation water

A young plant breeder with an establishment in California (USA) noticed a loss in their production and dealt with quality issues of the plant material. Adding a disinfectant to his water helped him improve his cultivation.

"At the time of the production loss, the company didn't use Huwa-san technology to disinfect the irrigation water," says Ivan Casteels with Roam Technology, explaining most greenhouses have irrigation systems with long pipes in which the water stands still quite often. "And when no qualitative disinfectant is present in the water, microorganisms get the chance to multiply and form a biofilm. Plant pathogens, such as the fungus Fusarium spp. or the water mold Pythium spp., are given free rein."

These two pathogens can cause damping off of young tomato plants, also called 'seedling disease.'

Damping off of seeding

The challenge
Damping off can be caused by the fungus Fusarium spp., but also by Rhizoctonia spp., possibly together with the water mold Pythium spp. Damping off can be recognized by failed emergence of seedlings. "When seedlings do emerge, their stems and leaves discolor gray to brown," Ivan shows. "Furthermore, the stems appear to be watersoaked, and the plant will fall over, eventually leading to stunted growth and wilting of the seedling. An infected seedling will only occasionally survive to cultivate a vigorous plant."

Europe to California
Ivan explains the company already used Huwa-San TR-50 at their location in Europe and decided to do the same at their location in California. Huwa-San is a disinfection product based on silver-stabilized hydrogen peroxide.

Left: The plants are watered via overhead irrigation, to which Huwa-San TR-50 has been added. Right: The Huwa-San teststrip indicated the right dosage of Huwa-San TR-50 present in the irrigation water.

Dosing system
"Our Roam advisors proposed to install a dosing system to inject Huwa-San TR-50 into the irrigation system. The recommended dosage Huwa-San TR-50 was based on the quality of the water system and measured at the end of the irrigation system."

The crop manager at the company is very pleased with the solution. "Using Huwa-San has not significantly improved my yield, but in terms of maintaining a residual and providing protection against potentially catastrophic blight, it's the most inexpensive insurance I could ever buy."

Roam Technology will be present at GreenTech in stand 05.103