Written by: Aidan Corbo
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Due to rising costs and growing demand for almonds, maintaining as many acres as possible is a must for almond growers across California. A core to sustainable agriculture is maintaining a healthy soil while reducing as much water and fertilizer usage as possible. Fortunately, there is an alternative to current methods of water pH control that can provide exactly that. This alternative is carbonic acid.
Carbonic acid is created by fully dissolving CO₂ in water, and is a safe acid. It is created on-site using CO₂ and specialized equipment that efficiently creates the carbonic acid and injects it into the irrigation water to reach the target pH.
Dissolving CO₂ in water is a natural process that happens every time it rains, in soil for plants to take nutrients, and carbonic acid even forms every time we breathe to acidify our blood. It’s everywhere.
Due to almonds being a permanent crop, the longevity of soil health in almond orchards is important for long term growth and profitability. Nutrient uptake is a key component to this process.
If the water pH is too low or high, it can result in nutrient deficiency, which causes the microbial activity (essentially a microecosystem) in the soil to become less active. When this occurs, the plant is left vulnerable to stunted growth and diseases. Growers often employ fertilizers to combat this issue. This, however, increases the cost of production. The amount varies depending on the current water pH. If a grower has a pH regulating system, then this is not an issue.
As for soil, the texture ideal for almonds, a sandy loam, typically does not have water standing issues. However, salts can build up and reduce the water infiltration and nutrient uptake when the proper pH (6.0 to 7.0 for almonds) is not met. If this occurs, water doesn’t infiltrate the soil, nutrients are lost, and can not get to the roots. To combat this, growers use fertilizers to make nutrients more abundant, but this brings up the cost of production.
With carbonic acid, however, the water pH level the almond tree is receiving can be regulated, providing the highest possible amount of nutrients to the soil, and an optimal environment for the microbial activity in the soil, which fight off diseases and improve nutrient cycling, allowing nutrients to enter the plant. Tests have shown a 74% reduction in electrical conductivity (measures how much salts are in the soil), starting with 1.3 and ending with 0.3. With more nutrients entering, the plant as a whole is healthier, and produces a larger yield.
As the microbial activity improves, the soil organic matter increases, allowing for more nutrients to be released. When this occurs, the soil is capable of holding more water within itself over a longer period of time. Because water is retained within the orchards soil, less water is needed to be used in irrigation, saving growers revenue.
A haney test was conducted from the beginning of 2022 to the beginning of 2023 in an almond orchard that used carbonic acid. Results found a 41% increase in soil health, a 1.7 to 1.97 increase in soil organic matter,
This method of water pH treatment is not only beneficial for the crop itself, but as soil pH and nutrient cycling improves, growers can decrease the amount of fertilizer needed for almond orchards.
When evaluating options for water pH control, carbonic acid can help the grower save compared to other methods like sulfuric acid or a sulfur burner. As mentioned previously, proper pH regulation prevents scaling in the pipes. Scaling, however, is not the only issue that improper pH regulation has. If the pH of water is too acidic, it presents issues for both the crops and irrigation systems.
Improper, or lack of, pH regulation can cause damage to water irrigation systems. When water pH level is too low, it creates the risks of hyper acidification. When this occurs, metal ions (copper, iron, zinc, etc.) begin to corrode and dissolve, causing significatly expensive damage to the irrigation system.
When there is high water pH, however, different problems can occur. Scaling build up in the pipes and drip emitters. If this occurs, some emitters will be clogged (or significantly reduce output), or the pipe as a whole could have scale buildup and increase turbulence and the energy needed to move the water. With proper pH regulation, this does not occur, and distribution uniformity is improved. High levels of alkalinity also ties up nutrients.
Over injecting acid will cause high acidity levels, which is the result of low pH. This risk is common with sulfuric acid and sulfur burners because it is a strong acid (1.0 - 2.0 pH), and sulfur burners lack fine control. For crops, this leads to a decrease in nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, as well as increasing the amount of aluminum and manganese in the soil (which can be toxic in high numbers). If this occurs, the crop is deprived of nutrients, which stunt growth in the roots, causing smaller yields.
Clean water pH control can provide many sustainable farming benefits to almond growers, saving water and improving growing. The cost of adding a carbonic acid service varies depending on the grower.
Such factors include:
If a grower is unsure if they need water pH control, or about carbonic acid, we encourage them to check their current water quality and consult with their agronomists.
A growing demand for almonds in a state where water supply varies every year means growers have to be ready to adapt. If California growers have access to proper pH control systems, they can improve nutrient uptake, can reduce fertilizer use, and save costs.
If a grower is ready to look into pH control systems, then they should first consult with their agronomists, and compile the list stated above. After that, contact a pH control company, and evaluate the pros and cons of different methods.
