Reuse of drainage water in greenhouse

Added on 19 March 2020

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In 2030 all Dutch growers will have to reuse the drainage water in their greenhouse. But with soil-bound crops, much is still unknown about the quality of that water. That is why the Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research is investigating the quality of the drainage water in a number of crops.

Dutch (greenhouse) horticulture should be fully circular by 2030, according to the mission of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. This means, among other things, that all unnecessary water must be reused. This is fairly easy to achieve in substrate crops, but there are more obstacles in soil-bound crops. For example, there is insufficient knowledge about the quality of the drainage water.

Research

In the coming years, WUR will investigate the presence of diseases, salt, auto-toxicity substances, nutrients and organic substances in the drainage water in soil-bound crops. This is done by sampling at practical companies. For each company will be examined which disinfection is required (such as a sand filter, UV or ozone) and which additional techniques are necessary and cost-effective (such as filtration and fertigation).

Dutch growers with soil-bound cultivation with chrysanthemum, radish, freesia, lisianthus or nerine can register until the end of April 2020 via erik.vanos@wur.nl. Sampling will start in May 2020. Next year, research will be conducted into possible technical adjustments together with grower groups and suppliers.