From steved@ncatark.uark.edu Thu Jun 29 13:53:25 2000 Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 10:40:22 -0600 From: Steve Diver To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu, Hugh Lovel Subject: Re: the electrolyzed water Greetings Keishi Matsumura, Thank you for corresponding from Japan to the Sanet email group. The electrolyzed water water treatment you summarized is fascinating. [Unfortunately my computer cannot send a message directly to your email address in Japan; it results in an error message; so I am unable to correspond directly and share any further details; Nevertheless this message is of general interest to Sanet] First you described a water treatment that oxidizes or reduces water. Then you talked about farmers using the oxidized water to treat fruits and vegetables and thereby control bacterial and fungal diseases, thus reducing the need for fungicides and pesticides. Amazing! Here is a water-treatment technology that provides an alternative to pesticides for the control of problem diseases in fruit and vegetable production. This certainly fits the category of a New Generation Pest Management Tool. Unfortunately I cannot point to any research of similar capacity here in the United States since I do not think it exists. If any other Sanet reader can say anything about oxidation-reduction treatments for water and its use in agriculture, please share. Mr. Matsumura, likewise, if you can point to any literature in English, any web pages, or any suppliers of these water treatment units then please do share with Sanet once again. Perhaps it will spark interest amongst U.S. and European agricultural workers to look into it further. *Can you say how the "reduced-water" is used in the healthy growing of plants? *How are the different forms of water used to treat the agricultural crops? *What else is the Gohoku Institute of Agriculture doing in sustainable agriculture that Sanet readers may find interesting? Interestingly, in Hugh Lovel's post of April 5th to Sanet he described the oxygen-rich characteristics of Sosei Water. See: Re: Hugh Lovel's water-related Japan trip http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail/html-home/43-html/0478.html Having been away from Chemistry for too many years, a clear understanding of the differences between "oxidized-water" (as described by Mr. Matsumura) and "oxygen-rich" water (as described by Mr. Lovel) alludes me at the moment. Though it does appear the two systems are zeroing in on oxygen-tweaked water. However, Lovel also alluded to the anionic quality of Sosei Water in in the same context of Dr. Carey Reams' Biological Theory of Ionization. The RBTI theory suggests that plants live off the energy released by elements as they enter the plant from the soil and air, not off the elements themselves "per se." In other words Reams was concerned with increasing the energy, or magnetism, of crops through the use of specialized fertilizers. In support of this theory, Reams developed the anion-cation concept in which anionic energy denotes the vegetative stage of plant growth and cationic energy denotes the fruiting stage. According to Reams' concept of energy, calcium is instrumental in growth (anionic) energy and manganese is instrumental in fruit (cationic) energy. HOWEVER, Reams use of these two terms differs from their common usage in soil chemistry, wherein an anion is a negatively charged ion (NO3-1, PO4-3, SO4-2) and a cation is a positively charged ion (NH4+, Ca+2, K+, Mg+2). In practical terms, Reams advocated specific soil and foliar fertility programs to enhance anionic (vegetative) and cationic (fruiting) stages of plant growth. Dr. Arden Anderson, an agriculture consultant who was a student of Reams, correlates Reams' use of anionic-cationic to the following terms or concepts: 1) anionic=yang=male=expanding =vegetative 2) cationic=yin=female=compressing=fruiting SO, when Hugh Lovel talks about anionic properties of oxygen-rich in relation to Sosei Water, I wonder what he is really talking about (i.e., negative ionic charge, or energetic quality?) Hugh, if you are listening, perhaps you can spin another round of theoretical and practical examples of Sosei Water and its use in agriculture, especially since your research institute is the only location in the U.S. that can speak authoritatively from first-hand experience.... at this time. Have you seen results in pest management and enhanced plant growth that support the assertions from Mr. Matsumura's Gohoku Institute of Agriculture? The thing that intrigues me about Keishi Matsumura's post on electrolyzed water is that oxidized water makes good sense as a fungal and bacterial controlling mechanism. Many of these pathogens are surface-dwelling organisms on fruits and vegetables. If you can disrupt their membranes, throw off their ability to attach to the cuticle layer, or otherwise trip them out with oxidized water, it apparently results in an eco-friendly pest management tool for the farmer. In fact, it would be a welcome addition to on-farm disease suppression techniques such as hydrogen peroxide, compost teas, herbal teas, biodynamic sprays, etc. One of the reasons I am coming back to this topic is the following item I came across at the Food & Fertilizer Technology Center website. The following excerpt on electrolysed water is a newsletter item from the Food & Fertilizer Technology Center in Tawian. It sounds very similar to what Keishi Matsumura describes; i.e., electrolyzed water and its use in agriculture. Electrolysed Water Food & Fertilizer Technology Center http://www.agnet.org/library/abstract/nc127c.html ELECTROLYSED WATER There is a growing interest in special kinds of treated water with properties which differ from those of ordinary water. Electrolysed water is an example. Salty water is placed in a electrolytic tank divided into two by a diaphram. A weak electric current is passed through the water, between the cathode on one side of the diaphram and the electrode on the other. The cathode water can be used to restore the quality of rice or soybean that has been stored too long and has deteriorated slightly. There have been reports that it prolongs the life of cut flowers, promotes the growth of plants and improves the health of livestock who use it as drinking water. The anode water has strong bactericidal activity, and is being put to various kinds of medical use. Agricultural uses are also being studied. It is seen as a possible control of plant pathogens. Some studies suggest that spraying crops with anode water may help prevent disease. Another potential use being studied is the disinfection of rice seeds. Incidentally, the Food & Fertilizer Technology Center, [An international information center for small-scale farmers in the Asia Pacific Region] is a great source of information on sustainable agriculture, organic farming, composts, microbial inoculants, animal husbandry, crop cultivation, organic wastes, nutrient management, etc. Food & Fertilizer Technology Center http://www.agnet.org/ Especially see: Extension Bulletins -- Food & Fertilizer Technology Center http://www.agnet.org/library/list/pub/eb.html Steve Diver Fayetteville, Arkansas > From: "Keishi Matsumura" <64-gohoku@wide.net-kochi.gr.jp> > To: "SANET-MG" Subject: the > electrolyzed water Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2000 10:06:33 +0900 > Dear Hugh Lovel and Steve Diver, and sanetters, > > Thank you, Hugh and Steve, for your kind advice about electrolyzed > water. I am sorry I did not contribute soon. I am afraid those water > would be different from electrolyzed water we are applying. As for > the water we are using, the salt water of infinite dilution is > electrolyzed to get two kinds of water, the strongly oxidized water > and the strongly reduced water. The oxidized water has strong > sterilizing power useful for medical use resulting reducing > chemicals. About 10,000-20,000 dollars costs to set the water making > system. In Kochi prefecture, we live, there are some farmers > applying the water to some vegetables and fruits, strawberry, melon, > egg apple, sweet pepper, and so on. Actually some farmers succeed in > cultivation without fungicide and pesticide by using the water. It > is said that the strongly oxidized water has effect on many fungal > and bacterial disease, powdery mildew, bacterial blight and so on. > On the other hand, it is said that the water dose not have effect > directly on some harmful insects very much, but we can apply > pesticide to vegetables and fruits with lower level concentration by > using the water. It is also said that the strongly reduced water has > effect on healthy growing of plants. Applying the water to > vegetables and fruits needs some important care. As the electrolyzed > water return to plain water soon after application, the water has no > harm to humans and animals. This electrolyzed water application > system has mainly emphasized practical aspect between farmers and > some manufacturers. So, we think it is very important to > statistically evaluate the effect on controlling plant disease and > harmful insects in the sustainable agriculture project we try. If > there are any examples similar to this application in your area, > please tell us. > > Thanks. > Jun.1.2000 > Keishi Matsumura > GOHOKU INSTITUTE OF AGICULTURE > 781-2492 Kamiyakawa Kou > Agawa, Gohoku, Kochi, Japan To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@cals.ncsu.edu with the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest". 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