Customer Feedback
【Niigata】A Revolution in Strawberry Cultivation in Niigata! Strawberry “Echigohime” blossoms in cloudy weather!
Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture
Mr. Shoetsu Watanabe
Mr. Watanabe had been an employee, but he followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a rice farmer, and started farming.
Attracted by the workability and clean working environment of high-altitude strawberry cultivation, he began growing strawberries in his generation.
He has 18 years of experience in strawberry cultivation.
Why did you introduce Nano Bubbles?
A teacher at an agricultural extension center advised him, “Strawberries will have better roots if you give them with a good supply of oxygen.”
So he put a commercial air pump for goldfish in the tank and irrigated it, but did not find it particularly effective.
At that time, Kakuichi, a warehouse for agricultural machinery, came to him and told him that they had started Nano Bubbles, so he thought, “I have to do it!” and so he installed a Nano Bubble generator.
How has the impact of Nano Bubbles been?
He did not use Nano Bubbles last year for some reasons, but because of that time period, he is experiencing the benefits of Nano Bubbles in his cultivation this year.
The plants were planted at the same time on September 3rd.
Sensibly, the strawberries grew about one week earlier in the NB-treated area than in the Control area.
How do you manage fertilizer and irrigation in using Nano Bubbles?
In the first year of introducing Nano Bubbles, the growth in the Nano Bubble zone was significantly better when using the same fertilizer and water management methods.
These results raise the question of whether the use of Nano Bubbles can improve fertilizer absorption efficiency, potentially allowing for a reduction in liquid fertilizer concentration while maintaining yields.
In the second year, the farmer attempted to dilute the fertilizer from 1,500 to 2,000 times, resulting in a decrease in yield.
However, in the third year, when he followed the same growing practices as the first year, the plants returned to their original growing conditions. As a result, the farmer concluded that the original amount of fertilizer was correct and has not made any changes since then.
Effects of Nano Bubbles on Niigata Strawberry Cultivation
In Niigata Prefecture, winter snowfall and short daylight hours cause a decline in vigor, growth delays, and a drop in yield and quality.
However, the use of Nano Bubbles has allowed the trees to grow more vigorously and increase yields compared to the past.
The mechanism behind this effect was previously unknown.
However, at the ‘Niigata Strawberry Farmers Nano Bubble Study Session’ held by Kakuichi at A-SITE 2 years ago, he became convinced of the effectiveness of Nano Bubbles upon seeing data demonstrating the superior absorption of water and calcium by strawberries under cloudy weather.
The Nano Bubble generator is an agricultural material that can be used in Niigata Prefecture, where cloudy weather is common. It has the potential to be widely used by strawberry farmers in the region.
Requests to Kakuichi
Since the use of Nano Bubbles for pesticide application is expected to have a spreading effect, we would like to discuss the addition of a water intake after this year’s strawberry cultivation is completed.
About the future
He has a personality that likes to take on challenges that no one else is doing.
The cost of electricity and fuel is also higher in his area than in other parts of the country.
So he is thinking about how to secure yield while keeping costs down, and he is always trying to stay in touch with information about new agricultural materials.
That is why he came across Kakuichi’s Nano Bubbles.
In direct sales, the taste has been very well received by customers, thanks to Nano Bubbles.
Since I will be appointed as a “Niigata Prefecture Guidance Agriculturist” from January next year, I would like to introduce the advantages of Nano Bubbles to strawberry farmers in Niigata Prefecture more and more.