Water treatment with hydrogen peroxide and UV seems to offer perspectives for reduction of growth inhibition in rose. Positive results were achieved in preliminary research. The technique will this year be tested further in a field situation.
Drainage is relatively common practice in rose cultivation to prevent unwanted growth inhibition and salt accumulation. This is in conflict with the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) which stipulates that the quality of surface water must be improved. The sector has therefore agreed that emissions from greenhouse horticulture must be reduced to virtually zero by 2027. Drainage or discharge must be prevented which makes water recirculation desirable.
Continuous recirculation in rose cultivation requires water treatment to solve problems such as growth inhibition and pesticides residues. A new technique based on advanced oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and UV treatment seems to offer perspectives.
Research in practice
Laboratory experiments in 2009 showed that water treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in combination with UV cleans water sufficiently to limit growth inhibition in a biotest. The next step is testing this treatment in a long-term experiment in practice.
Such an experiment will be carried out in the greenhouses of Meewisse Roses in Bleiswijk with the Grand Prix cultivar. The following three water treatments are compared:
UV treatment and discharging as practiced until now by the grower.
UV treatment and one hundred per cent recirculation and discharging at high sodium concentration.
water treatment with H2O2 and UV, one hundred per cent recirculation and discharging at high sodium concentration.
Production will be recorded and a number of analyses will have to answer the question whether water purification can contribute to a reduction of drainage water discharges. Scientists will regularly discuss the results with the growers and with the Advisory Board (BCO). The experiment will be running until the end of 2010.
The Product Board for Horticulture and the Dutch Ministry of LNV (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) are financing this research. The Water Boards Schieland and Krimpenerwaard, Delfland and Rijnland and the producers of crop protection products Bayer, BASF and Syngenta are also contributing to the study. Priva and Technical Bureau Bruine de Bruin
are participating in the project as well.