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

Project/Experiment Duration: 2020-2023

Project/Experiment Team:

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

Objectives:

1. Determine the potential benefits of using a modular farming system for groundwater quality by monitoring salt and nutrient leaching below the root zone.
2. Determine what happens to reject brine from a farm desalination unit after it is directly discharged into sandy soil.
3. 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. Determine the impact of reject brine and aqua-brine on soil’s quality characteristics under different irrigation regimes and halophytic crops.

Date of Sowing: 19 November 2020

Experimental design: not a specific experimental design

Crops: Quinoa, Salicornia and a halophytic grass

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