Electric functional water, also known as electrolyzed water, utilizes the principle of water electrolysis to electrolyze water into acidic water with strong oxidizing properties and alkaline water with strong reducing properties through specialized production equipment. It also utilizes the unique physical and chemical properties of these waters for sterilization, disinfection, and disease prevention and control. It has a wide range of applications in fruit tree cultivation disease prevention and storage preservation Now let's introduce the mechanism of generating and sterilizing electric functional water and its application in fruit production

1. The principle and device of generating electrically functional water

Under the action of the electrode, water is decomposed into OH ions and H ions, which react with chloride ions and potassium ions in an aqueous solution containing potassium chloride to form hypochlorous acid and potassium hydroxide. This process can only be achieved under the action of a cation exchange membrane, allowing the hypochlorous acid ions formed by chemical reactions to enrich towards the anode and the hydroxide ions to enrich towards the cathode. This results in the formation of strong oxidizing acid water with high potential and strong alkaline water with high reduction potential in both tanks

2. Sterilization and Application Mechanism of Electric Functional Water

Ordinary water forms an electrolyte solution with high conductivity by adding 0.1% potassium chloride. Under the action of the electrode, an electrolytic reaction occurs to form hypochlorous acid water with a high oxidation potential (ORP of+900--+1200mV). The pH value of this water is usually below 3-2.7, and a potassium hydroxide solution with a strong reduction potential (ORP-800 mv) is also generated. The pH value of this water is usually above 10-13. The most commonly used method in agricultural production is to use acidic water for sterilization and disease prevention. The principle of sterilization lies in the physical and chemical properties of acidic water. The physical property is that it has a high oxidation potential. Once it comes into contact with bacteria, fungi or viruses, it forcibly obtains electrons from the biological membrane, changing the normal potential and permeability of the cell membrane, causing the oxidative permeability of the lipid membrane to be destroyed. It is like drilling a hole in the cell membrane, leading to the leakage of cell contents and death. This process is a physical process that can achieve good results within 1-10 minutes. Therefore, it is faster and more thorough in application than chemical sterilization, and will not cause any resistance of bacteria. Its chemical process is to rebuild an unsuitable strong acid environment for bacteria, thereby exerting strong inhibition on their development. Most bacteria require a pH of 3 or above, while strong acid water can reach a pH of 2.7 or below, achieving antibacterial effects. In addition, the chlorine ions in the generated hypochlorous acid in the acid water are also a fungicide, playing an inhibitory role. It is precisely because of this comprehensive bactericidal effect that it has a better control effect than other agricultural fungicides The other type of alkaline water generated also has a wide range of uses. In addition to neutralizing acidic water and changing the pH of the environment, more importantly, the potassium hydroxide it contains has the effect of promoting crop germination and fruit coloring. It is also fully utilized in agricultural production

3. Application of Electric Functional Water in Orchard Soil Improvement

The growth and development of fruit trees are closely related to the soil acidity and alkalinity environment of the site. Excessive acidity or alkalinity can cause obstacles for fruit tree roots to absorb mineral nutrients, such as iron deficiency in alkaline soil and potassium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium deficiency in acidic soil; Especially in the highly acidic red and yellow soils of the south, some orchard loam soils have a pH value below 4.5, which poses obstacles to the high-quality production of citrus and other fruit trees. Therefore, a large amount of quicklime is often applied for adjustment; In the northern arid areas or coastal areas, many plots of saline alkali land have a pH of 8 or above, which is not suitable for the growth of fruit trees. This is because most fruit trees have a pH range of 5.5-6.5, and sulfur powder needs to be applied to adjust the garden during construction. Although these methods also work, they can also cause damage to the balance of mineral nutrient absorption by fruit trees or cause secondary pollution to the environment. In addition, the cost of transformation is also high. For orchards with unsuitable pH values, referring to the experience of soil improvement in Japan, it is better to use acidic water to regulate alkaline land and alkaline water to regulate acidic soil. In addition to effectively correcting the soil pH environment, the most important thing is that there will be no residue, and the cost is extremely low. The sentence is: It is also extremely convenient to use, and can be flexibly irrigated or regulated. The application of acidic water can also kill some soil borne bacteria and create a micro current environment for the soil, greatly reducing the bacterial base of the orchard Both the original drug and dilution can be used for administration during use

4. Application of Electric Functional Water in Orchard Disease Prevention and Control

Electric functional water is highly favored by producers for its unique and powerful sterilization effect. In many pollution-free pesticide free orchards in Japan, electric functional water is combined with biological insecticidal technology for safe fruit production, completely solving the ecological and health hazards caused by chemical pesticide residues. The use of electric functional water for orchard closure can greatly reduce the base of overwintering pathogens. During the growing season, the use of electric functional acid water has achieved excellent control effects on diseases such as peach scab, black star disease, leaf shrinkage disease, perforation disease, citrus scab disease, ulcer disease, pear black spot disease, rust disease, wheel stripe disease, etc; Especially for grapes that are highly susceptible to diseases, the use of electrically functional water has better efficacy than pesticides such as Bacteroid and Carbendazim in treating diseases such as black spot, downy mildew, and anthracnose. However, when using it, in addition to spraying every 7-10 days, it is also important to note that some varieties that are sensitive to strong acids should implement the principle of alternating use of acid, water, alkali, and water. Especially for young trees that have not been planted for long, it is usually recommended to spray acid water and then spray alkali water 30-60 minutes later to avoid acid hazards. Recent promotion and application in Japan have shown that the vast majority of fruit trees do not have any harmful effects on the human body, nor do they have any skin or olfactory irritation or sensitivity. Fruit farmers in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, have used electric functional water as a major disease prevention measure to reduce or cultivate fruit trees without pesticides.

5. The application of electrically functional water in improving fruit quality.

The water produced by the electric functional water generation device, in addition to the excellent bactericidal function of acidic water, the other half of the alkaline water is also a good water for root fertilization in fruit tree production. Potassium hydroxide water with reducing potential can not only promote bud germination and branch production, but also have a significant effect on improving the appearance quality of fruits, greatly increasing the sugar content and color of fruits.

6. The application of electrically functional water in storage and preservation.

The storage and preservation of fruits and vegetables is also an important part of fruit industry production. Currently, the preservation technology in China is extremely backward, which is a major reason for fruit farmers to increase production but not increase income. Large scale preservation warehouses and new technologies require significant investment, and it is difficult for most fruit farmers to implement them. They only use chemical sterilization and preservation methods at room temperature, resulting in poor results and serious chemical residues. The use of electrically functional water treatment for pre harvest tree retention or post harvest centralized treatment of fruits can greatly improve labor efficiency and preservation effect. For large preservation enterprises, a large amount of chemical fungicides are commonly used for storage, which not only affects the natural appearance of fruits but also brings industrial pollution and residue. After switching to electrically functional water, in addition to instantly killing various bacteria on the surface of fruits, it can quickly restore to ordinary water without any environmental pollution or fruit residue, which is currently an ideal preservation measure.

We will now use strawberries that are extremely intolerant to storage as experimental materials to demonstrate their bactericidal and fresh-keeping effects. Before refrigeration, the strawberries will be soaked in strong acidic water and a strong acidic water plus calcium chloride treatment solution for 10 minutes (with no treatment as a control), and then refrigerated at 0 C for 12 days to observe changes in strawberry quality. The results showed that soaking strawberries in strong acidic water and strong acidic water with calcium chloride treatment solution can significantly inhibit the respiration of strawberries, suppress the activity of polygalacturonase and carboxymethyl cellulase, effectively maintain the hardness of the fruit, and greatly reduce decay. The good fruit rate of the strong acidic water treatment group after 12 days was 100%, while the good fruit rate of the control group (untreated) was only 85%. This indicates that washing fruits and vegetables with strong acidic water not only has good washing, sterilization and disinfection effects, but also can extend the shelf life.

7. Application in the production of pollution-free green fruits

It has become possible to produce pesticide free fruits by drawing on the experience of Japan. Japanese fruit farmers not only use electric functional water sterilization technology for disease prevention and control, but also combine the insecticide soil formula of traditional Chinese medicine preparations to achieve chemical free control effects, truly producing pollution-free fruits without any residues. This type of preparation is called "Hanfang Medicine" in Japan and is highly regarded in the production of pollution-free fruits. Essentially, it is a plant derived biopesticide prepared using Chinese herbal medicine, such as processing yellow cypress, tangerine peel, licorice, mint, garlic, chili, wood vinegar, coptis chinensis, etc. in a certain proportion and using them directly. It has a strong stimulating odor and can effectively kill insects such as red spider mites and aphids, thus achieving the effect of treating both diseases and pests.

8. Instructions and precautions for use:

The use of electric functional water is extremely simple. Simply spray the acidic or alkaline water produced by the device directly. It is best to choose sunny days with low humidity when using it, because using it on rainy days with high humidity will not only affect the efficacy of the medicine, but also hinder the transpiration and reduction rate of functional water, causing slight damage to some sensitive varieties. In addition, it is best to store the produced electric functional water in a sealed plastic container for optimal efficacy. If production is convenient, it is best to apply it while preventing and treating, as the oxidation potential of newly produced acidic or alkaline water is the highest. Prolonged storage in an open environment will greatly reduce the potential. Even if the acidity or alkalinity changes little, the effect is still quite significant; In addition, when mixing electric functional water with other pesticides, attention should be paid not to mix acidic pesticides with alkaline water, nor should alkaline pesticides be mixed with acidic water, otherwise it will affect the efficacy. However, if acidic pesticides are dissolved in acidic water, in addition to improving dissolution dispersion, it can also enhance the penetration and absorption of pesticides on the surface of leaves, greatly improving the efficacy.

The application of electric functional water in the fruit tree industry has just started in China, while it has a long history in developed countries such as Japan. They have formed the electric functional water agricultural method and promoted standardized application in production. We can quickly carry out research and promote the application of relevant technologies while drawing on foreign experience and combining with the actual production situation of China's fruit industry, in order to promote the pollution-free production of China's fruit industry and play the greatest role in the sustainable development of agriculture. Water belongs to the field of physical agriculture and is a process of physical sterilization. It does not need to consider environmental pollution and residues, and can greatly reduce production costs. It has a wide range of application space and significant production significance.