Resource for Crop Irrigation Paired Field Trials


Paired field trials were conducted in Buckeye, Arizona (barley and oats). The trials were designed to deliberately test for measurable differences in plant development, growth and crop production in poor soils using treated and untreated LSGW for irrigation (1,500 mg/l TDS).


Soil Chemistry


• Highly Alkaline: Soil pH from 7.7 to 8.5 • Ca: 7,000 (VH) to 8,700 ppm (VH), Na: 220 (H) to 2,100 ppm (VH), K: 230 (H) to 490 ppm (VH)


• Salinity (EC × K) dS/m 1.0 (L) to 20.0 (VH) • N03-N (9.0 (L) to 270.0 ppm (VH) • Bicarb – Soluble Phos 5.6 (L) to 16.0 ppm (M)


• Computed Sodium (ESP) 2.1 to 20.4 • Free Lime level – High (All samples) • LSGW – 1,500 ppm TDS


Results


These paired field trials were designed to deliberately test for measurable differences in plant development, growth and crop production. A summary of the results from these studies follows.


plant growth


• Faster seed germination by seven days and development of root hairs.


• More seeds germinated by five times per unit area.


• Faster root growth by five to seven days. • Faster plant growth and leafing out, and healthier, greener plants.


• Taller plants (2×), bigger leaves and increased flowering.


• Faster seedpod germination and seed development in seedpods by 10 days.


• More (1.5×) seeds produced per seedpod. • Significantly reduced plant death (from osmotic stress) by growing plants irrigated with treated water than those irrigated with untreated water when both were subjected to a 2-inch rainfall that dissolved deposited soil surface salts from those irrigated with untreated water.


• Significantly reduced plant death (des- iccation) due to exposure to heat from high air temperatures (110 – 118 degrees Fahrenheit) and in periods of high-dry winds in test sites irrigated with treated water.


• Soil salinity analysis of six surface soil samples (0 – 8 inches) collected from


seed germination


three rows and two depths (0 – 4 inches and 4 – 8 inches) from the treated and untreated test plots found in ditch irrigat- ed treated soils that


- Mean salinity was 39 percent lower, - Mean sodium was 42 percent lower, and


- Mean nitrogen was 38 percent lower in treated soils (taken up by plants) after four months of TGH2o treated row irrigation.


• Soil irrigated with TGH2o treated water stayed wetter longer (24 – 36 hours) over untreated, providing water conservation of 25 to 30 percent.


In field trials over the past three years, farmers have reported from 7.5 to 70 percent increase in crop production/acre with an electricity cost of less than $10/ month electricity to irrigate 200+ acres/ well. The technology has been used in 2-inch to 14-inch irrigation pipe to treat low saline/brackish groundwater (1,500 mg/l to 9,000 mg/l TDS). The technology is simple to install.


Source: IAS Labs, Phoenix, Arizona 80 days | seed pods


Untreated plants were 9 inches tall.


A comparison of tassels per stalk at 62 days shows treated (left) is more than 10 days faster.


A comparison of seedpods at 80 days shows treated (left) has greater than 1.5 times the seeds per seedpod.


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