In the spring of 2020, the Delphy Research Institute of the Netherlands, on behalf of Moleaer, carried out tests to examine the effects that irrigation enrichment with oxygen nanobubbles had on strawberry cultivation. Delphy's extensive experience in strawberries with Berry Plaza and its ability to perform tests comparable to normal growing conditions with a high level of knowledge and supervision, made Delphy an ideal research partner for Moleaer.

In this trial, the group was able to isolate two cohorts differentiated by one variable: dissolved oxygen (DO) and high concentrations of nanobubbles in water. In the study, a control group kept the DO stable between 7 and 9 mg / L, while the water treated with nanobubbles was brought to an average concentration of 30 mg / L.

At the conclusion of the trial, the plants irrigated with oxygen nanobubbles had a 14% increase in production compared to plants without treatment (8.2Kg vs. 7.2Kg). Pythium count was 74% lower in treated vs. treated samples. the untreated control group. Plants watered with oxygen nanobubbles also had a healthier root mass and fewer cases of disease (Phytophthora).

Bart Jongenelen from Delphy: “We had followed the previous results with nanobubbles in other crops with great interest and as I learned more about the properties of nanobubbles, I have to say that I became increasingly interested. The theory behind it is that oxygen plays an important role both in the absorption of nutrients from the roots and in the biology of the root environment. For these trials, we chose to focus on production and follow root development with visual inspections. Very clear differences emerged from this; for example, the total production was almost 1kg more with the nanobubble treatment. ”

Michiel de Jong from Moleaer: “The differences in production were quite obvious. The results confirmed what we had already demonstrated in other crops and can also be applied to the production of strawberries. The nanobubble generator serves a dual purpose. First, nanobubbles supply oxygen in an extremely efficient way in the water, allowing us to maintain high saturation levels with minimal losses. This helps us supply significantly more oxygen to the root zone and promote healthy root development. Second, the oxidizing properties of oxygen nanobubbles break down algae and suppress pathogens, effectively improving water quality and maintaining a more hygienic irrigation system. "

Bart adds: "We were also able to determine that in this trial, during visual root inspections, we observed that the control was much more affected by the Phytophthora fragariae infestation, also known as Lanarkshire disease. The roots with the nanobubbles looked much healthier. ”

Moleaer is a nanobubble technology company located in the United States with a mission to unlock the full potential of nanobubbles to improve and protect water, food and natural resources. Moleaer established the nanobubble industry in the U.S. by developing the first nanobubble generator that can operate profitably on a municipal and industrial scale. Through partnerships with universities, Moleaer has proven that nanobubbles can solve complex industrial challenges in agriculture, horticulture, wastewater, aquatic management, and resource recovery. Moleaer has deployed nanobubble generators at more than 450 customer sites worldwide since 2016.

The nanobubbles are invisible to the naked eye being 2,500 times smaller than a grain of salt. These remain suspended in the water for long periods of time, acting as a battery that continuously supplies oxygen to the entire body of the water. As oxygen is consumed, nanobubbles diffuse more oxygen into the solution, maintaining the level of dissolved oxygen. Moleaer provides the industry's highest proven oxygen transfer rate of gas aeration and infusion, with an efficiency of over 85 percent per foot of water (Michael Stenstrom, UCLA, 2017).