Nutrient management of the future: Elements instead of EC

‘If you can make that work, I’m definitely interested,’ said Koen Brabander, Commercial Director at PB tec, back in 2019 when he first heard about the development by CE Water Solutions: a system capable of rapidly measuring nutrients in an irrigation system. PB tec has now combined this technology with precision dosing, which Koen describes as a revolution for the water technology area. ‘Traditional A/B tanks are no longer needed and you no longer manage based on Electrical Conductivity (EC). Instead, you measure and dose exactly the elements a plant needs at that specific moment. It is the holy grail of irrigation.’

EC measurements
In current practice, the composition of the nutrient solution is mainly monitored through EC measurements. The assumption is that a certain fertilizer application results in a certain conductivity level. If the EC deviates, corrections are made accordingly. However, this does not reveal which elements are actually present in the solution.

‘You assume you’re applying a specific recipe, but you don’t know exactly which elements are really present and in what proportions,’ says Koen. To determine that, laboratory analysis is required. This takes several days and comes at a cost.

Electrical analysis
The alternative offered by CE Water Solutions is a system that uses electrical analysis to determine, with laboratory-level accuracy, which nutrients are present in the greenhouse water before and after use. ‘You then know exactly what is actually in the water,’ says Koen.

As a standalone system, the well-known advantage of the CE-Line Analyzer, the solution developed by CE Water Solutions, is that its rapid measurements enable growers to react much faster. The technology was developed in the Netherlands and received international recognition, but it did not achieve commercial success. Last year, PB acquired the company and, with the solution now being introduced, is taking the technology a step further.

Integration into the water line
By integrating the CE-Line Analyzer into the water technology room and combining it with precision dosing, the correct nutrients can be supplied directly and automatically based on real-time measurements.

Koen explains: ‘You measure what is actually happening in the water and adjust your dosing accordingly.’

The intention is certainly not to replace the grower or crop advisor. The basic recipe remains the starting point. ‘However, it is applied much more accurately, and any deviations between the recipe and actual practice can be corrected immediately at element level,’ Koen continues.

Based on data from the greenhouse
According to Koen, the real innovation lies in linking measurement and dosing. ‘You move towards precision dosing based on data from the greenhouse. That is the water technology room of the future.’

In this irrigation room of the future, traditional A/B tanks – in which solutions are prepared in a fixed ratio (1:100) – disappear. Instead, concentrated stocks of individual fertilizers are used and supplied through the dosing system. This allows growers to work with smaller volumes and respond more quickly to the CE-Line Analyzer’s real-time measurements. ‘No more A/B tanks with outdated recipes,’ confirms Koen. ‘And fewer manual mixing moments, which means less chance of errors when preparing nutrient solutions.’

For further information:
PB Tec
[email protected]
www.pb-tec.com