Collaborative Projects
1. Development of low-cost tools for in-house tracking of microbial water quality for horticultural operations
2. Report on Physico-chemical Treatment of Vegetable Wash Wastewater
3. To evaluate the effectiveness of wash water treatments to prevent or reduce the spread of plant pathogen
4. Wastewater Management on Horticultural Farms
2. Report on Physico-chemical Treatment of Vegetable Wash Wastewater
3. To evaluate the effectiveness of wash water treatments to prevent or reduce the spread of plant pathogen
4. Wastewater Management on Horticultural Farms
Development of low-cost tools for in-house tracking of microbial water quality for horticultural operations
This project is partially funded by the Agricultural Adaptation Council, directed by Ann Huber of Soil Research Group,
and supported by HMGA Water Project activities.
and supported by HMGA Water Project activities.
Rationale
Increasingly, Ontario’s horticultural industry is coming under more regulations regarding water and the industry needs to be prepared to meet these challenges; recycling is one way to meet these challenges, but the risk of pathogens in recycled water needs to be managed.
Water testing for pathogens is available from commercial labs, but involves sampling, transportation to the laboratories, potentially significant turn-around times, significant costs depending on the contaminants in question, and sometimes ambiguous interpretation. Thus it may not be suitable as a routine way of tracking water quality throughout the production process and over time.
Growers need to be aware of changes in their water quality in a timely fashion in order to be able to preemptively manage the risks of contamination from irrigation waters, washwaters, and waters/materials recycled for reuse in the production system.
To do this they need to be able to routinely monitor contamination in their irrigation and process waters and assess the effectiveness of treatment systems in place.
Objectives
The overall aim is to develop a cohesive set of low-cost on-site tools to give growers an in-house ability to assess their water quality, monitor the effectiveness of treatment systems, and identify potential sources of re-contamination. With this information they can preemptively manage water quality throughout their production system, reduce risk, and be better prepared to meet the challenges of increasing water regulations.
Project Description
Increasingly, Ontario’s horticultural industry is coming under more regulations regarding water and the industry needs to be prepared to meet these challenges; recycling is one way to meet these challenges, but the risk of pathogens in recycled water needs to be managed.
Water testing for pathogens is available from commercial labs, but involves sampling, transportation to the laboratories, potentially significant turn-around times, significant costs depending on the contaminants in question, and sometimes ambiguous interpretation. Thus it may not be suitable as a routine way of tracking water quality throughout the production process and over time.
Growers need to be aware of changes in their water quality in a timely fashion in order to be able to preemptively manage the risks of contamination from irrigation waters, washwaters, and waters/materials recycled for reuse in the production system.
To do this they need to be able to routinely monitor contamination in their irrigation and process waters and assess the effectiveness of treatment systems in place.
Objectives
The overall aim is to develop a cohesive set of low-cost on-site tools to give growers an in-house ability to assess their water quality, monitor the effectiveness of treatment systems, and identify potential sources of re-contamination. With this information they can preemptively manage water quality throughout their production system, reduce risk, and be better prepared to meet the challenges of increasing water regulations.
Project Description
- Testing and developing practical methods (“tools”) that will enable growers to routinely track on-site water quality changes and treatment system performance throughout their entire production cycle. The methods and related procedures to be evaluated on-farm, will include: 3M Petrifilms™, ColitagTM , AgDia Immunostrip test kits, and others as appropriate.
- Conducting a sampling program of the range of process waters at ten cooperator sites over the processing period and testing the developed procedures to measure the levels of pathogens in irrigation water, washwater, and waters treated and/or recycled for reuse at 10 sites over the growing season, and optimizing methods (2015)
- Correlating the above methods with laboratory methods (DNA Multiscan – University of Guelph Lab Services) and standard plating and identification methods (UofG, VRIC, and others) and existing monitoring parameters; correlate results with crop health where appropriate.
- Field testing the developed tools by putting them in the hands of the grower’s staff the following season (2016), and modify and optimize them for in-house routine use
- Transfer the information to the wider industry through workshops etc.
| March 2016 Report |
Report on Physico-chemical Treatment of Vegetable Wash Wastewater
Dr. George Nakhla, a professor of Environmental Engineering at UWO, prepared a report on the treatability of vegetable washwater. Dr. Nakhla’s research team was sent water samples from the HMGA and they preformed various characterization tests to determine what treatment technologies would be best suited for the unique vegetable washwater found in the Holland Marsh. Based on the chemistry of the washwater they tested a common coagulant, alum, and found that with the proper dose and mixing adequate solids and nutrient removal was attainable. Further study of the use of coagulation and flocculation will help to identify its true value on a larger scale. See the full report below for more details.
| Report on Physico-chemical Treatment of Vegetable Wash Wastewater |
To evaluate the effectiveness of wash water treatments to prevent or reduce the spread of plant pathogen
HMGA Water Project is participating in this project which is directed by Dr. Mary Ruth McDonald of
Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph.
Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph.
Summary
Samples from carrot washing and packing facilities will be collected to isolate, identify and quantify potential plant pathogens. The main plant pathogens of concern are Fusarium (causes fusarium root rot of carrot), Rhizcotonia crocorum (causes violate root rot of carrot), Sclerotian sclerotiorum (causes sclerotinia rot of carrots, pink rot of celery and sclerotiania drop of lettuce), Sclerotiorum cepivorum (white rot of onion) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (causes crown gall of carrot). Nematodes and the clubroot pathogen may also be assessed.
Samples from carrot washing and packing facilities will be collected to isolate, identify and quantify potential plant pathogens. The main plant pathogens of concern are Fusarium (causes fusarium root rot of carrot), Rhizcotonia crocorum (causes violate root rot of carrot), Sclerotian sclerotiorum (causes sclerotinia rot of carrots, pink rot of celery and sclerotiania drop of lettuce), Sclerotiorum cepivorum (white rot of onion) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (causes crown gall of carrot). Nematodes and the clubroot pathogen may also be assessed.
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Wastewater Management on Horticultural Farms
Poster presented at the 2015 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Conference
| Wastewater Management on Horticultural Farms OFVC 2015 |
