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Drip irrigation offers greater water use efficiency than conventional furrow irrigation practises, though routine maintenance is required for optimal performance. The continuous use of low concentrations (10 ppm) of H2O2 stabilized with hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP) at two concentrations (H2O2 Low containing 1 ppb and H2O2 High containing 1 ppm of HEDP) in drip irrigation was evaluated in terms of emitter, crop and yield performance across three crop species. Emitter flow rates (EFRs) for subsurface drip in sugarcane were higher by 16% and root intrusion into emitters was almost halved with H2O2 Low. For above-ground suspended drip lines with table grape, blockage of emitters due to biofouling was reduced by 50% in H2O2 Low compared to the control or H2O2 High within the second year of use, and the extent of emitters with visible biofouling was reduced even more. Soil microbiology did not differ markedly between treatments in any of the crops, even over four years of use. However, soil microbial carbon and soil carbon were reduced by H2O2 Low in the sugarcane trial. Yield increases of 9, 25, and 49% occurred in chilli, table grape, and sugarcane, respectively, for the continuous H2O2 Low treatment compared to the control. The yield increases with H2O2 Low could be associated with increased uniformity in water supply and/or oxygen supply to plant roots.
Thomas et al. (Fri,) studied this question.