First ‘Delft Blue Water tomatoes’ plucked!
‘Delft Blue Water’ tomatoes have been cultivated at Demokwekerij Westland since April 2013. Purified municipal water is being utilised as irrigation water in greenhouse cultivation. If the pilot is successful, Delft Blue Water will offer a sustainable alternative to irrigation water.
Salination and water shortage issues are becoming increasingly relevant in Westland, the greenhouse area in the Province of South Holland, the Netherlands. Under the name of Delft Blue Water (DBW), a research group is investigating whether the effluent of the Harnaschpolder waste water treatment plant can be used as an alternative source for fresh water services in the Delfland region.
Using innovative technologies, DBW is investigating whether high-quality irrigation water can be produced for greenhouse cultivation and at what cost. DBW is cooperating with possible purchasers in this, enabling optimum account to be taken of end user quality requirements.
Demonstration greenhouse
At Demokwekerij Westland a demonstration greenhouse of approximately 200 m2 has been designed to demonstrate that DBW irrigation water is suitable for greenhouse cultivation. Tomatoes are being cultivated in the greenhouse, half being watered using rain water (reference line) and the other half with DBW irrigation water (DBW irrigation water line).
Both lines are provided with separate water systems and have their own disinfector and nutrient dosing system. The plants’ development is analysed by monitoring crop growth and production, plant health and food safety.
Until now, results show no differences between the DBW irrigation water line and the reference line. The first tomatoes have now been plucked and are being investigated for quality. The results are expected soon.
Delft Blue Water irrigation water is:
- High quality (class 1)
- Sufficiently available
- Is sustainable because it:
- connects to the regional water cycle,
- uses water from the area,
- brings an end to brine disposal in the soil.
About Delft Blue Water
Delft Blue Water is a cooperation between Delfland Water Board, Delfluent Services and Evides Industriewater. Delft Technical University, Voltea, Priva and LTO Groeiservice are conducting various supporting studies.
The study will run until 2014 and has been made possible partly through subsidies from Agentschap NL and the European Union.
This news item was originally published on the website of Evides Industriewater.
More information
Evides Industriewater
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 10 293 5172
www.evides.nl
Delfluent Services
Delft, the Netherlands
+31 15 219 50 00
www.delfluent.nl
Delfland Water Board
Delft, the Netherlands
+31 15 260 81 08
www.hhdelfland.nl
Delft Blue Water
www.delftbluewater.nl