Electrolysed water is being hailed as the future for farming. The health industry are already using it as a sanitiser and now researchers in Tasmania say it could be a game changer for farmers.
Electrolysed water is made by passing an electrical current through salt water to create sodium hydrochloride. Long used in hospitals as a germ killer, now researchers say it could have a variety of uses in agriculture.
“Quick applications that spring to mind are like disease suppression in field, or cleaning of equipment, perhaps for bio security purposes, all the way through to washing fresh produce and extend the shelf life,” remarks Karine Cadoret, Extension Officer, from the Farmers and Grazers Association.
Agronomists have been testing the technology to protect onions from fungus. The two-year-long trial with electrolysed water has produced impressive results: instead of a 90 percent of crops being destroyed, they have witnessed a mere 10% loss.
Farmer Nathan Richardson welcomes the new technology saying, “anything we can do to lessen the impact on the flora and fauna through the use of pesticides has got to be a great thing.”
Researchers hope it could one day reduce the agriculture industry’s reliance on chemicals. With a cheaper price tag, it could also prove more cost-effective for farmers already stretched to the limit.
Source: Euro News
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