Published: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Modified: Monday, 7 August 2023

The role of nanobubbles in lettuce growth in New Zealand

nanO3 in New Zealand setup a nanobubble growth trial in a lettuce NFT system

Nanobubble Water Care Services Ltd t/a nanO3, a company active in water and nanobubble applications in New Zealand, became an Acniti partner in 2022. For supporting marketing and sales of turbiti nanobubbles generators and oxiti oxygen concentrators in New Zealand, the company conducted a test trial with lettuce following as closely as possible the ISO proctol. The results are spectacular.

The importance of oxygen in plant growth

Herb and lettuce greenhouse in Christchurch New Zealand.

Improving the quality of irrigation water has positive effects on the physical and hydraulic properties of the soil, and as a result, increases the amount of crop production. Also, oxygen plays an important role in plant respiration, which causes energy production and plant growth.

Increasing the percentage of oxygen in water improves the root structure and the activity of useful microbes in the rhizosphere. Naturally, an effective and practical system can increase productivity by improving the quality of irrigation water and increasing dissolved oxygen in irrigation water. Acniti oxygen concentrator and Acniti turbiti O3 are very effective supplements for irrigation of agricultural fields and at the same time improve water quality and increase dissolved oxygen (DO) and ozone in irrigation water. The produced nanobubbles quickly saturate the water with oxygen, and due to their very low buoyancy, they can remain immersed in water for a long time and prevent the loss of oxygen.

Materials and methods

Fig1. Used equipment and trial plants
Fig1. Used equipment and trial plants
Fig2. 1 = Control 2, 2 = Control 1, 3 = nanobubbles treated group
Fig2. 1 = Control 2, 2 = Control 1, 3 = nanobubbles treated group

To determine the role of oxygen and ozone nanobubbles in the growth of lettuce, an experimental research was conducted. The research was conducted on three groups of lettuce and evaluated during four weeks. The first group was supplied with nanobubbles O2 (6liter/hr.) and ozone with amount of 0.2 gr/hr. The second group (Control 1) only received ozone by venturi with the amount of 0.2 gr/hr. The third group (Control 2) received only air via a venturi.

Results

DO level

During the four-week study, the level of DO in the group that received oxygen nanobubbles and ozone was significantly higher than the two control groups.

The level of DO in the tested group was between 14 and 16 ppm, while in control 1 and 2 the amount of DO was different from 10 to 12 ppm.

Lettuce weight

During four weeks and at the end of each week, the weight of lettuce in each group was evaluated. In the first and second week, there was no significant difference in the weight of the groups, but in the third and fourth weeks, the experimental group had a significant increase in weight compared to the control groups. For example, at the end of the fourth week, the experimental group weighed 233.7 grams, control group 1 had an average weight of 173.26 grams, and control group 2 had an average weight of 129.21 grams. Which means, the group that received nanobubbles oxygenated water were 38.8% heavier than control 1 and 80% heavier than control 2. At the same time, the root length is significantly longer in the group treated with nanobubbles (Fig 2).

Conclusion

Graph Nanobubble trial vs controls daily DO ppm
Graph Nanobubble trial vs controls daily DO ppm
Graph average lettuce weight in grams nanobubble trail vs controls
Graph average lettuce weight in grams nanobubble trail vs controls

Nanobubble lettuce weight week 7 is 11.32% heavier than Control 1, and 43.61% heavier than Control 2

This research shows that by using Acniti nanobubbles generators, will increase the level of dissolved oxygen in water, and makes the roots of lettuce grow more and its weight increases significantly.

Contact

Interested in a nanobubble generator installation in New Zealand.

Contact Nanobubble Water Care Services Ltd t/a nanO3.logo nanO3