permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: BD Now! Tomatoes Grown in Seawater Healthier Than Regular Kind
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 15:05:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>
To: Biodynamic Food and Farming Discussion <bdnow@envirolink.org>

It might help to recognize there is a huge research effort in food
science to identify factors that influence antioxidants in fruits
and vegetables.

The Italian study was more heavily slanted to this angle than it
was towards the horticulture of seawater production methods.

Seawater agriculture is not about the potential of salty irrigation
water, which the Foxnews article incorrectly surmised.  It is about
a broad spectrum of secondary, trace, and rare earth elements provided
in a low, natural earth concentration which plants recognize and
utilize for growth.

This is in complete contrast to standard NPK hydroponics and in
complete contrast to standard Western Agriculture soil science.

The 2005 conference at Acres USA was a tremendous source on broad
spectrum elements (rock dusts and seawater products).  Several
presentations were outstanding.

Keep in mind there's been a leap in technology in hydroponics.
The modern hydroponics industry that spins off The Growing Edge
and high-yield indoors/outdoors production offers a broad range
of organics, biostimulants, microbials, and related cutting edge
production methods and inputs.  It's cool to see Thalassa Mix
available in a local hydroponics store here in Austin, since it
offers an energetic dimension to seawater enhanced hydroponics.

Steve Diver

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The Influence of Diluted Seawater and Ripening Stage on the Content of
Antioxidants in Fruits of Different Tomato Genotypes
C. Sgherri, F. Navari-Izzo, A. Pardossi, G. P. Soressi, and R. Izzo
J. Agric. Food Chem. (2007), 55(6): 2452-2458.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf0634451

Abstract
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2007/55/i06/abs/jf0634451.html

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate if the combined effect of diluted
seawater and ripening can improve the beneficial nutritional properties of
tomato fruits from an antioxidant point of view. To reach the goal, different
tomato cultivars and breeding lines, genetically modified for ripening,
were investigated, and analysis of NADPH and NADP+ as well as of the main
antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, lipoic acid, and tocopherols was performed
at two ripening stages. The research was conducted on berries of the following
genotypes of tomato: cv. Jama, Gimar wild type, Gimar gf, and Gimar nor.
The mutant gf is a typical "stay green" mutant, characterized by an incomplete
loss of chlorophyll; the nor mutation is characterized by a reduced 
biosynthesis
of ethylene and carotenoids. Both ripening and salinity induced an oxidative
stress, and the sensitivity to salt treatment was genotype-dependent. The
genotypes cv. Jama and Gimar gf line showed increases in ascorbic acid, lipoic
acid, and -tocopherol during both ripening and salt treatment whereas total
ascorbate and tocopherols decreased in the berries from salt-treated plants
of Gimar wild type. Ripening also determined decreases in ascorbate and
tocopherol amounts in the Gimar nor line where a positive effect of ripening
and salinity was observed.

Keywords: Solanum lycopersicum L.; tomato; ripening; nor and gf breeding 
lines;
salinity; ascorbic acid; lipoic acid; tocopherol; cell redox status

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> From: Greg Willis <agsyn1@yahoo.com>
> Subject: BD Now! Tomatoes Grown in Seawater Healthier Than Regular Kind
>
> Tomatoes Grown in Seawater Healthier Than Regular Kind
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260468,00.html?sPage=fnc.science/naturalscience
>
> Tomatoes irrigated with diluted seawater grow with significantly higher 
> levels of
> healthy antioxidant compounds, new research shows.

..... etc .....