Development of possibilities for innovative improvement of farmland conditions with nano-bubble water

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21352
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 41:Agricultural economics and rural sociology, agricultural engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Tsugihiro 熊本大学, くまもと水循環・減災研究教育センター, 特任教授 (50175105)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 櫻井 伸一 京都工芸繊維大学, 繊維学系, 教授 (90215682) ; 原口 智和 佐賀大学, 農学部, 准教授 (90346833)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: ウルトラファインバブル水 / 小角X線散乱法 / 農地土壌環境 / 作物生育 / イチゴ栽培 / 灌漑排水

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study is to develop the possibility of improving the soil environment of agricultural lands by means of ufb-water, which is water with a higher content of ultrafine bubbles (ufb). The results are summarized as follows
1) Previous applications in the world are reviewed and the application conditions are examined for the use and application of ufb-water. 2)Development of a method to measure ufb production using state-of-the-art technology is attempted. The limitations of small-angle X-ray scattering measurements are confirmed and issues or constraints for improving the measurement method, including the use of more sophisticated techniques, are identified. 3) Using soil columns, precise measurements of the relationship between ufb-induced changes in soil physicochemical properties and plant growth are conducted and the possibility of improving the soil environment with the application of ufb-water is confirmed.

Free Research Field

農学（農業工学）

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ナノサイズ超微細気泡（ウルトラファインバブル［ufb］）の包含量の多い水は，洗浄，微生物活性化・水浄化，農作物栽培，水産養殖などの分野での応用が進められていて，農業生産では，施設栽培などでの使用例や効果が紹介されているが，その有効性の機構を含め不明な部分が多い．その機構や規定関係を明確にすることは，今後の活用の拡大のための基礎的な知見となり，応用研究に向けての学術的意義は大きい．また，多量の水を利用し社会・経済・環境に及ぼす影響が大きい農業・農地における水と土壌の環境の改善に貢献することから，食料生産の効率性と省資源・環境保全という社会貢献につながるものである．