Control of Viral and Bacterial Contamination of Lettuce by Subsurface Drip Irrigation
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 10
Abstract
Foodborne outbreaks have been associated with the use of irrigation water contaminated with human and animal wastes. The use of subsurface drip irrigation may reduce the contamination of leafy green produce. The goal of this study was to quantitatively assess the impact of a subsurface irrigation system on the contamination of romaine lettuce contaminated with a fecal bacterium and a virus. Plants were transplanted and grown in bottom watering pots. They were irrigated with contaminated water containing Escherichia coli and MS2 bacterial virus. The HYDRUS 2D/3D program was used to model the water movement in the soil to ensure that the soil surface did not become wet and consequently contaminated. Neither E. coli nor MS2 were detected on the surface or internally on/in romaine lettuce. The results demonstrated that subsurface irrigation may successfully reduce the risk of contamination by bacterial and viral pathogens so long as the contaminated irrigation water does not reach the soil surface and thereby come in direct contact with the aboveground portions of the plant.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies (Reyes Esteves 2020).
Acknowledgments
Funds supported this study came from the Department of Biosystems Engineering (BE) and the Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, University of Arizona. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Patricia Gundy, Principal Research Specialist, and Dr. Kelly Bright, Research Professor, from the WEST Center and the Environmental Science Department at the University of Arizona. Their assistance, recommendations, and training at the lab were crucial in this research work. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Assistant Research Professors, Research Technicians, students in the WEST, SNRE, and Chapingo Autonomous University for their help at the lab, greenhouse, and calculations work.
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Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 10 • October 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Oct 19, 2020
Accepted: May 15, 2022
Published online: Aug 10, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jan 10, 2023
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