Nanobubble irrigation technology for enhanced plant growth and crop yield
Green and sustainable irrigation technology using gas nanobubbles to improve seed germination, plant growth, and crop productivity. Nanobubble water has demonstrated 6–25% higher germination rates across lettuce, carrot, fava bean, and tomato, with potential to improve soil chemistry, nutrient availability, and microbial communities.
Overview
This solution offers a green and sustainable irrigation approach using gas nanobubbles to enhance plant growth and crop yield. Nanobubbles are extremely small gas bubbles, typically less than 1 micrometer in diameter, that exhibit unique physical and chemical properties including long-term stability in water, high gas solubility, and rapid mass transfer. When applied through irrigation water, nanobubbles can improve soil oxygen conditions, influence pH and redox potential, promote nutrient release, and alter soil microbial communities relevant to plant health.
Technical specifications
How nanobubbles work:
- Nanobubbles have a huge surface area and negative electrical charges that promote the release and dissolution of positively charged nutrient ions such as calcium, magnesium, and ammonium from soil
- Their small size (<1 μm) provides long-term stability, high gas solubility, and rapid mass transfer rates, making them potent oxygen suppliers in soil
- Improved aeration in the rhizosphere, the zone of soil surrounding plant roots, benefits plant productivity
Validated experimental results:
- Seeds irrigated with nanobubble water exhibited 6–25% higher germination rates compared to controls
- Pure nitrogen nanobubbles showed considerable positive effects on seed germination, while air and carbon dioxide nanobubbles did not significantly promote germination
- Plant growth metrics including stem length, stem diameter, leaf number, and leaf width were promoted by nanobubbles (except air nanobubbles)
- Tested across multiple plant species: lettuce, carrot, fava bean, and tomato
Technology readiness level
The technology has been validated through controlled germination and growth experiments with multiple plant species using pure air, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide nanobubbles. Future validation plans include measuring major element concentration changes (NH4-N, NO3-N, PO4-P) in soil solution before and after nanobubble injection, conducting comparative growth trials with tomato and lettuce using deionized water, nanobubble water, and normal bubble-aerated water, and evaluating the effects of nanobubble water on soil microbial populations and root-associated microbiomes. The research is positioned for further development and collaboration with industry partners interested in sustainable agriculture and precision irrigation technologies.
About New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT is a public polytechnic research university (Carnegie R1) in Newark, serving the New York–New Jersey innovation corridor. Industry engages on campus through VentureLink, the university’s startup incubator in University Heights Science Park and the Newark Innovation Zone, and via a large makerspace that supports prototyping for external partners. The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), a corporation of NJIT, provides an industry‑facing gateway, including a venture‑studio model launched with the state’s economic‑development authority, to speed translation and scale. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE and DoD. An Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing Office manages IP, licensing and startup formation alongside NJII and VentureLink.
delivered to your inbox.