In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 operators across the U.S. to identify their perceptions of new water-saving technologies and treatments. The findings revealed growers are aware of water-saving technologies and the rate of adoption depends on a variety of factors including: perceived cost, lack of ability of their workforce to use the new technology due to its complexity, and belief that their product will be worth more if it is grown in an environmentally-friendly manner. Barriers to adoption included the high cost of replacing equipment, incompatibility with existing systems, and the perception that new technologies do not fit in with the traditional hands-on approach to horticulture. We need to develop materials that highlight the economic benefit of adoption and cost recovery, YouTube videos that reduce issues with perceived complexity should also be developed for growers so they can use them with their workers.
Journal of International Agriculture and Extension Education April 2017 (639 KB)
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A national team of scientists is working to encourage use of alternative water resources by the nation’s billion-dollar nursery and floriculture industry has been awarded funds for the first year of an $8.7 million, five year US Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture –Specialty Crop Research Initiative competitive grant.
The team will develop and apply systems-based solutions to assist grower decision making by providing science-based information to increase use of recycled water. This award from the NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative is managed by Project Director Sarah White of Clemson University. She leads a group of 21 scientists from nine U.S. institutions.
Entitled “Clean WateR3 - Reduce, Remediate, Recycle – Enhancing Alternative Water Resources Availability and Use to Increase Profitability in Specialty Crops”, the Clean WateR3 team will assist the grower decision-making process by providing science-based information on nutrient, pathogen, and pesticide fate in recycled water both before and after treatment, average cost and return-on investment of technologies examined, and model-derived, site specific recommendations for water management. The trans-disciplinary Clean WateR3 team will develop these systems-based solutions by integrating sociological, economic, modeling, and biological data into a user-friendly decision-support system intended to inform and direct our stakeholders’ water management decision-making process.
The Clean WateR3 grant team is working with a stakeholder group of greenhouse and nursery growers throughout the United States.
For example, at the University of Florida graduate student George Grant is collecting data on removal of paclobutrazol, a highly persistent plant growth regulator chemical, from recirculated water using granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. This is being done in both research greenhouses and in a commercial site. The GAC filters can remove more than 90% of chemical residues, and are proving to be a cost-effective treatment method.
