South Australia Could Use Recycled Wastewater To Grow Crops During Droughts

South Australia is one of the driest sections of land in the entire world, so local farmers know how much it stings when there’s a drought.

However, researchers from the University of Southern Australia have been testing different ways that farmers could administer water to crops during a drought.

They tested out several different water delivery systems of greenhouse tomatoes, with recycled wastewater coming out on top as the best option.

Phys.org goes into more detail:

“Testing different water sources on greenhouse-grown tomatoes, recycled wastewater outperformed both groundwater, and a water mix of 50 percent groundwater and 50 percent recycled wastewater.Researchers also confirmed that growers using deficit irrigation strategies (irrigation that limits watering in a controlled way) performs best at 80 percent capacity, ensuring maximum water efficiency while maintaining excellent crop growth and yield levels.”

Australia has had its fair share of troubles in recent years, with wildfires and droughts really putting the country to the test.

However, these new tests show ways that the country can thrive despite its struggles, and I’m personally very excited to see the innovative ways that locals try to combat droughts and the effects of global warming.