Facility
RootzoneLab
The Wageningen University & Research RootzoneLab has unique facilities for testing new materials, products and technologies for application in the plant rootzone of horticultural production systems. Growing media, biostimulants and water treatment technologies are examples of products and technologies that can be investigated. Measurements are completely independent and objective, customers are provided with a measurement report that with detailed relevant characteristics. In addition, also products can be supplied with which customers can perform their own research.
Growing media characterization
The societal urge to switch from peat to more sustainable alternatives for use as growing medium creates incentive to develop innovative new growing media. The properties of the growing medium decides on how to manage the crop, especially for irrigation and fertigation. Plant roots need to find the optimal balance of water and air in the rootzone. Ideally, a growing medium is also biologically stable and maintains its original properties over the full cultivation cycle. For growers to be able to use a material as growing medium, the agronomic properties need to be determined. Wageningen University & Research, Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture can perform scientific grade laboratory tests for your products to determine the following growing media properties:
- Water retention (pF curve)
- Water uptake rate
- Dry bulk density & Lab bulk density
- Total pore space
- Organic matter content & mineral matter content
- pH buffer capacity
- Particle size distribution
- N-immobilization (biostability)
- Oxygen uptake rate (biostability)
- Cation exchange capacity (external analysis)
- pH, EC and element levels (external analysis)
Contact persons
Product phytotoxicity evaluation
The plant response test is a fast sensitivity test to find any plant phytotoxic effects of a product applied to the plants rootzone on shoot and root growth of three plant species (Cress Lepidium sativa, mustard Sinapis alba and Sorghum saccharatum) seedlings. Plants germinate and grow in contact with a solution containing the product to be tested. Growth inhibition of a solution has been proven when the length growth of plants and/or the germination of seeds are negatively influenced by substances in the solution. Examples of products that can be tested are: fertilizers, growing media, water treatment products, cleaning agents, etc.
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Greenhouse irrigation line biofilm prevention or removal test
Management of biofilms in irrigation lines is an important aspect to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge cultivation systems, as is the goal for Dutch greenhouse horticulture by 2027. A variety of strategies is applied to clean the irrigation lines or keep them free of biofilm, either during the cultivation season or at crop interchange. Wageningen University & Research Business Unit greenhouse horticulture has developed an installation and protocol for producing a controlled biofilm. Products can be applied in three parallel systems for prevention of biofilm formation or removal of an existing biofilm. The test is conducted under horticultural conditions (nutrient solution tomato, microorganisms from drain water, 24 °C), with water pumped through 50 meters of irrigation pipe and then through a biofilm monitor. In the biofilm monitor, biofilm is grown on rings of the same material as irrigation pipes, which can be monitored with ATP measurements from living cells. The installation allows techniques and agents to be tested for their efficacy in preventing biofilm formation or removing an existing biofilm.
Contact person
Bio-assays for suppression of diseases in new growing media
Maintaining healthy roots is essential for a healthy plant. Underground plant diseases such as Fusarium, Pythium, Phytophthora and Verticillium can attack the roots, which can result in an unhealthy crop. It is possible to research whether certain applications, such as growing media, biostimulants and water treatment techniques, have the potential to suppress these underground diseases. This can be done through bioassays in our greenhouses. Under controlled conditions, we can introduce disease in combination with one or more applications and monitor disease development using a disease index. In this way the effect of a treatment on a disease can be tested.
Contact person: Ming Huisman
Removal of pesticides from greenhouse drain water
In conventional production of greenhouse vegetables and plants, some plant protection products may be used to fight pests and diseases, despite huge progress in biological control and resilient cultivation practices. These plant protection products could end up in drain water and are potentially discharged to the public sewer system. In order to prevent an environmental impact, greenhouse discharge water needs to be treated to remove plant protection products withapproved technology, according to Dutch legislation. We offer a service to test water treatment equipment for removal of plant protection products according to the existing protocol, and report to the approval committee.
Contact person
Supply of Standardized Water
Standardized Water is used as a medium to test water treatment technologies for application in greenhouse horticulture. It is representative for a realistic worst-case composition of drain water. It is used for testing efficacy of drain water disinfection technologies (without addition of plant protection products) and removal of plant protection products from discharge water. We can supply Standardized Water to customers within The Netherlands.