IFRS: So let's break this down....Only 1% of the Earth's water is freshwater....Seawater holds key to future food...Growing crops in salt water is becoming necessary to overcome shortages of fresh water, say researchers writing in the journal Science.
AquaLiv Technology May Allow Coastal Crops to be Irrigated with Seawater
AquaLiv completed a series of laboratory experiments this week that demonstrated a modified version of its AgSmart™ product could potentially be used to irrigate crops with seawater in lieu of freshwater.
"The results indicate that this is a potential application for AgSmart™ that is worthy of further exploration," stated AquaLiv CEO Craig Hoffman. "Research into this application has just begun, so there is still much to learn."
Dr. Takemi Ichimura, AquaLiv's Chief Science Officer, had the idea for growing plants in seawater following Japan's devastating tsunami which left vast swaths of coastal farmland too saline for general agriculture use. Dr. Ichimura is a graduate of Tohoku University in Sendai. "Sendai was one of the most devastated areas in Japan," added Mr. Hoffman. "He wanted to contribute to the rehabilitation in some way."
The experiments compared the sprouting ability and subsequent growth of rice plants bathed in well water, seawater, and seawater treated with a modified version of AquaLiv's information-based agriculture product, AgSmart™. The untreated seawater demonstrated significantly reduced germination and subsequent growth, as expected. However, the AgSmart™ treated seawater sprouted and grew rice just as robustly as well water.
"Not only could this potentially restore the coastal farmland in Japan," stated Bill Wright, CEO of Infrared Systems International, "but it may be possible that where freshwater is a scarce commodity, coastal areas worldwide could now be used to grow food. This is a significant development in global food production."
Earlier this year, the company released its first agriculture product, AgSmart™ Rice. The product increases yields without chemicals or genetic modification and is organic standards compliant. Based on AquaLiv's patented BioT™ Bioinformation Technology, AgSmart™ products utilize novel wave-based information composites to influence plant behavior.
