Growers responding to water challenges

Growers are facing this problem head-on with a diverse array of viable options. The key is to use less water and reuse as much as possible. Growers, researchers, advocates, and other industry professionals are coming together to reduce their water use.

Clean WateR3 Educates Growers

Clean WateR3 is a federally funded Specialty Crops Research Initiative grant focused on outreach to help growers reduce, remediate, and recycle irrigation water. Dr. Sarah White at Clemson University managed the grant team and Dr. Paul Fisher at University of Florida continues to educate growers. The grant was completed in 2019 but Dr. Fisher keeps the website, CleanWater3.org, up to date with helpful information for growers.

“Our next phase of this project is looking at water treatment technologies that we can scale up to help growers either treat water that is circulating inside their greenhouses, or if they have to discharge water into the environment, there are technologies like constructed wetlands and bioreactors that can take out nitrogen, phosphorous, and pesticides,” Fisher says.

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Photo: Dr Loren Oki, left, rates plants in the UC Davis field trials, part of the Climate Ready Landscape Plants research project to find varieties that perform well with little water. Credit: Dr. Loren Oki

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