Improving Water Productivity by Applying Magnetic Technology

Ahmed Al-Busaidi

Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering,College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos

University, Oman

Global Water Resources• World population food production limited fresh water resources

http://maps.grida.no/library/files/storage/population-increase-and-water-resources.jpg�

Global Water Resources• Save water

* Increase water productivity * Use saline and unconventional waters

Dead Water

Original water active watergood structure

Human activities destruction & pollution

Today waterdead waterdisturbed structure

Magnetic Water

1- Water 2-Magnetic field 3-Magnetic WaterScattered Well organized (Plus & Minus)

Human

Soil & Plant

Restructuring Water Molecules Clusters:

Enhance nutrients mobility in the soil Save fertilizers up to 30% Improved fruit quality; size, shape Increase water productivityCleaner piping, de-scaling and reduced scale

deposition

Benefits

1 2 3

Removing Scale

Impacts on Agriculture

Magnetic waterNormal water

Not Magnetic Magnetic Not Magnetic Magnetic

Impacts on Agriculture

source: fei Company

Impacts on AgricultureNormal waterMagnetic water

WheatIrrigation with magnetized water Irrigation with normal water

Hot ClimateArea: 309,500 Km2

*Arid Country withannual rainfall of 100 mm*Groundwater is the main source of water

Sectoral Water Use in the Sultanate

7%

0.6%

2.4%

90%

Total Demand = 1657 MCM/Yr

Domestic

Industrial

Agricultural

Municipal

(1491 MCM/Yr)

(117 MCM/Yr)

(9 MCM/Yr)

(40 MCM/Yr)

Water Balance in the Sultanate (MCM/Yr)

Supply

Demand

Deficit

1267390

1657

Seawater Intrusion

PressurePressure

Salt Affected Area of Oman = 44.18%

http://frontpage.uwsuper.edu/bajjali/proj/oman/o5_2.jpg�

Seawater Intrusion

Seawater Intrusion

Can Magnetic water do something for us?

Objectives1. Conduct research to assess the performance of the tested crops under magnetized brackish and treated waste

waters.

2. Evaluate the quality of magnetically treated crops.

3. Examine the performance of magnetically treated potable water and saline water on plant growth, yield and

produce nutrient composition of selected plant types.

4. Quantify water productivity and water saving potential of magnetically treated irrigation water.

5. Improve water use efficiency.

6. Determine the changes in soil properties and pipes scaling due to irrigation with magnetically treated water

from different sources.

7. Understand the impact of salinity levels on magnetically treated water.

8. Evaluate the effect of magnetic technology on elements availability in the soils.

9. Study the response of different parts of plants to irrigation with magnetic water compared to plants irrigated

with ordinary water.

10. Understand the impact of magnetic technology to soil microorganisms and plant diseases and future uses for

bioremediation.

11. Investigate the effect of heat stress in plant growth treated with/out magnetic device.

Objectives

Study the effect of magnetically treated potable water and saline water on:

Plant growth and yield Water productivity Soil properties

Materials and Methods

Result & DiscussionCucumber

Materials and Methods

Result & DiscussionCucumber

Materials and Methods (2011)Growth area = 2016 m2

(ECw ≈ 2 dS/m)

Materials and MethodsGrowth area = 2016 m2

(ECw ≈ 2 dS/m)

Result & DiscussionSoil salinity, ECe

Desalinating the soil

Result & DiscussionElement Concentration

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

M1 N1 M2 N2 M3 N3

Elem

ent C

onc.

(mg/

kg)

Treatment

Na Mg Ca Zn S

Result & Discussion

Result & DiscussionYield lost compared to Magnetic treatment

Rhodes grass (2011-2014)Rhodes grass irrigated by magnetized and non-magnetized water

field)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Magnetic Control

Soil

EC (d

S/m

)

Treatment

Soil salinity as affected by magnetized water (2014)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

20.02.2014 07.11.2013. 06.09.2013. 07.08.2013. 20.06.2013. 09.05.2013. 04.03.2013.

Bal

e N

umbe

r

Date

Magnetic Control

Yield of Rhodes grass as affected by magnetized and non-magnetized water

Treatment Differences

Sum of

Squares DF

Mean

Square F Sig.

Bale NO. Between

Groups882.00 1 882.00 1323.00 0.00

Within Groups 4.00 6 0.67

Total 886.00 7

Soil EC Between

Groups0.714 1 0.71 197.65 0.00

Within Groups 0.02 6 0.004

Total 0.74 7

ANOVA analysis for magnetized and control samples** The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.

Watermelon and sweet melon irrigated by magnetized and non-magnetized water

Sweet melon

Sweet corn irrigated by magnetized and

non-magnetized water (Open field)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Mag-front Con-front Mag-middle Con-middle Mag-back Con-back

Frui

ts W

eigh

t/bag

(Kg)

Treatment

Sweet corn irrigated by magnetized and non-magnetized water.

vegetables irrigated by magnetized Mix

magnetized water (Open field)-and non

Mix Vegetables

1.45

1.5

1.55

1.6

1.65

1.7

1.75

Start Mag Con

Soil

EC (d

S/m

)

Treatment

Soil electrical conductivity at different treatments

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

Mag1 Con1 Mag2 Cont2

Chl

orop

hyll

(spa

d)

Treatment

Chlorophyll values for magnetized and non-magnetized treatments

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Mag1 Con1 Mag2 Cont2

Cuc

umbe

r Yie

ld

Treatment

No. of Fruits Weight (Kg)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Mag1 Con1 Mag2 Cont2

Lettu

ce Y

ield

Treatment

No. of Fruits Weight (Kg)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Mag1 Con1 Mag2 Cont2

Car

rot Y

ield

Treatment

No. of Fruits Weight (Kg)

Crops productivity as affected by magnetized and non-magnetized treatments.

Improving Water Productivity

Al-Batinah Farmer Society (Privet farms)

Al-Batinah Farmer Society with magnetic device the farmers harvested 47000 Boxes of Tomato/4 hawithout magnetic device, they harvested 20000 Boxes of Tomato/4 ha

Al-Mesena Farm

Al-Mesena Farm Normal water Magnetic water

Al-Mesena FarmSecond visit

Plant color look better with Mag water Soil analysis (in progress)

Ibri Farm

Ibri FarmSoil analysis (In progress)

Adam Farm

Old saline groundwater

Adam FarmGood productivity with Mag water.

Better growth in second season even for date palms

Magnetic water Normal water

Privet houses with small gardens: 10 houses

Garden of privet house irrigated by magnetized and non-magnetized waters

1 2 3

Removing Scale

The effect of magnetic device in scale removing

Leaching ability (Lab Study)

Treatment pH EC

Normal (distilled) water 1.3

Column 1 8.7 1.2 ms/cm

Column 2 8.6 1.5 ms/cm

Magnetized water 1.6

Column 1 8.8 1.5 ms/cm

Column 2 8.7 1.7 ms/cm

Water leached from the columns

0

5

10

15

20

25

0 0.5 1 1.5

Soil

dept

h (c

m)

Ece (Ms/l)

Magnetized 2 times

Non-magnetized 2 times

Reduction in soil salinity (dS/m) with magnetized water

Columns*

Element1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

301 198 311 311 154 240 823 2.08 22.246 37.2 57.0 67.3 53.1 74.3 147 13.4 6.53

5.96 4.82 6.27 7.00 30.0 22.4 17.3 10.6 4.9294.2 83.4 117 128 174 245 357 44.4 28.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Na Mg Ca

Analysis of different ions of soil extract for different soil column at depth of (0-10 cm)

NW2INW3IMW2IMW3I

Magnetic water can help in leaching salts from the soil, balancing nutrient absorption and improving

plant growth

Conclusion

Acknowledgment

Thank you for all co-investigators for their continuous support during the study.

Special thanks to Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund (AFDF) for their financial support.

Improving Water Productivity by Applying Magnetic Technology Global Water ResourcesGlobal Water ResourcesDead WaterOriginal water �active water�good structure ��Human activities �destruction & pollution� �Today water�dead water�disturbed structureMagnetic WaterSlide Number 7BenefitsImpacts on AgricultureImpacts on AgricultureImpacts on AgricultureSlide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Seawater IntrusionSlide Number 16Slide Number 17ObjectivesObjectivesSlide Number 20Slide Number 21Slide Number 22Slide Number 23Slide Number 24Slide Number 25Slide Number 26Slide Number 27Slide Number 28Slide Number 29Slide Number 30Slide Number 31Slide Number 32Slide Number 33Slide Number 34Slide Number 35Slide Number 36Slide Number 37Slide Number 38Slide Number 39Mix Vegetables Slide Number 41Slide Number 42Slide Number 43Slide Number 44Al-Batinah Farmer Society Al-Batinah Farmer Society Al-Mesena Farm Al-Mesena Farm Slide Number 49Ibri Farm Ibri Farm�Soil analysis (In progress)� Adam Farm Adam Farm�Good productivity with Mag water. �Better growth in second season even for date palms Slide Number 54Slide Number 55Slide Number 56Slide Number 57Slide Number 58Slide Number 59Slide Number 60Slide Number 61Acknowledgment Slide Number 63