Salt Leachate Estimation in Integrated Agri-Aquaculture System (IAAS)

Project Team

ICBA – EAD (Abu Dhabi) - Plant and Food Research Ltd. (New Zealand) & Massey University (New Zealand)

Objectives

1. To determine the potential benefits of using a modular farming system on groundwater quality by monitoring salt and nutrient leaching below the root zone.
2. To determine the fate of reject brine from a farm desalination unit after it is directly discharged onto sandy soil.
3. To determine the economic and environmental benefits and costs of the practice of diluting groundwater with desalinated water and disposal of the resultant reject brine.
4. To determine the impact of the reject brine and Aquabrine on soil’s quality characteristics under different irrigation regimes and halophytic crops.

Experiment Details

Date of Sowing: 9th December 2021

Experimental design: not a specific experimental design followed

Crops: Salicornia

Irrigation systems: Drippers, Bubblers, Sub-surface irrigation

Irrigation treatments: Groundwater (25-26 dS/m), RO-brine (35-39 dS/m), Aqua-brine (35-39 dS/m)