Water Saving Measures of Using The Groasis Waterboxx in Organic Gardening in Desert Regions

Report: the Groasis waterboxx
Potential adoption of water-saving measures by members

of the cooperative
This report has been prepared by Diego Schiavon for the management
board of the La Primavera agricultural cooperative.
ISTC 01 Technical Communication Techniques

Final report
Diego Schiavon, student number #7937
Copyright and Disclaimer Notice

AquaPro, Groasis and waterboxx are registered
trademarks of AquaPro BV.
All pictures and illustrations of the Groasis
waterboxx shown in this report are subject to
the copyright and usage restrictions of
AquaPro BV.
The La Primavera logo is a registered
trademark of Cooperativa Agricola La
Primavera Scarl.
ISTC 01 Technical Communication Techniques - Diego Schiavon, #7937
Page i
Executive summary
This report presents the Groasis waterboxx and can be used by the members of the management board to
form an opinion about the device. It consists of ten sections, covering the history of the device, its
components and usage, some suggestions about the installation, the available test results and a concluding
evaluation
The first three sections present the historical background of the waterboxx from the prototype stage to the
present, a physical description of the device and a general explanation of the principles used to design it.
Drawings of the device and graphical illustrations of its usage are included as well.
The fourth section lists the single components of the device and their function, and provides some
graphical illustration of how the waterboxx is to be assembled. The fifth section expands on the previous
one, lists the different steps necessary to install a waterboxx, provides some brief suggestions about
planting materials and strategies, and concludes with instructions about removing the device.
Section 6 describes the data collection techniques and experiment designs to be used when testing the
waterboxx, with some practical suggestions about the experiment setup. Section 7 lists some of the
species used in the past for test purposes, and the countries where these tests have taken place. The
evidence gathered from the tests is briefly evaluated in section 8.
Section 9 evaluates the compatibility with organic regulations, both at a national and supernational level,
and concludes that the waterboxx is most likely to be suitable for organic farming, although the
cooperative technical service and the certifying agency should be contacted to confirm this.
Finally, a general evaluation and a recommendation is presented in the conclusion.
Page i i
Table of contents
Introduction
1 About the waterboxx
2 A short description
3 Waterboxx: the concept
4 The components
5 Using the waterboxx
5.1 Soil preparation
5.2 Orientation
5.3 Laying the paperboard
5.4 Planting the seedlings
5.5 Placing the water tank
5.6 Mounting the waterboxx
5.7 Final preparations
5.8 Removing the waterboxx
6 Logging procedure
7 Experiments
8 Test results
9 Suitability for organic farming
10 Conclusion
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
8
9
10
10
11
12
References
13
Addenda
Item I: International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011
Item II: the AquaPro pricelist
I
II
IV
Page i i i
Introduction
This report has been requested by the management board to establish whether the cooperative should use
the waterboxx, a device to farm without irrigation. The wateboxx has recently received media attention
as a device that makes it possible to farm marginal, arid lands: this is of importance in the light of
increased competition on the market and lower food prices.
The present report is a collection of available information about the Groasis waterboxx, its history,
components, usage and applications. The members of the management board should use this report to
form an opinion about the product. An assessment of this product is provided in the concluding section.
As described in the report, the waterboxx is a device that could prove useful on the chalk- and sulphaterich fields of our Southern members, as well as improve water drainage on our peach, apple and pear
fields in the North. However too few test results have been published, and therefore it is the
recommendation of this report that this product should not be used until more data become available.
The Cooperative could discuss the possibility of carrying out their own tests with the support of the
Technical Service.
Page 1
1 About the Groasis waterboxx

Pieter Hoff (1953) is a
Dutch inventor and
businessman. He has a
wide
agronomical
background,
accumulated
while
running his family
nursery garden. In
2003 he decided to
sell his company and
focus on developing a Fig. 1 Petrus (Pieter) Hoff, inventor
strategy
to
fight
of the Groasis waterboxx.
desertification. In the
prologue to his 2008 book "CO2, a gift from
heaven", he writes that he was motivated by
frustration at the pitiful state of the Italian
Apennines around Naples, once lush with
vegetation and now abandoned to erosion1.
The Groasis waterboxx is the result of his
research, culminated in 2004 with a prototype: a
round, donut-shaped plastic box with a 20-inch
radius; once filled with water, it sequestrates more
water from the atmosphere in the form of
condense and drips it down to the seedlings
planted in its middle. It allows plants to grow
under extremely harsh conditions on desert soils
and even rocks.
Mr. Hoff extensively tested his invention on arid
soils, first in his native Holland, and then in the
Moroccan Sahara, in Zaragoza (Spain) and
California (USA). The testing phase lasted four
years, from 2005 until 2010, and resulted in
improvements on the prototype design. Further
testing was conducted starting in 2010 in Spain,
Morocco, Kenya and California. In total, over
15,000 waterboxxes with trees will have been
tested in 20 research and demonstration areas2.
The test in Morocco was conducted with the
support of the University of Oujda, Morocco. The
results are presented on Mr. Hoff's company
website, www.groasis.com. He claims that after
four years, 88,2% of the trees planted with a
waterboxx were in good condition, with 11,8%
alive but "weak". Of the control group, consisting
of trees irrigated weekly but without the
waterboxx, 89,5% died, and 10,5% were alive and

in good condition3. Mr. Hoff also claims that
plants survive once the waterboxx is removed4.
The waterboxx project attracted media attention
ever since the testing phase: the first articles in the
national press appeared in 20075 and the invention
was soon mentioned in newspapers in the Englishspeaking world and beyond. In 2008, the
waterboxx was awarded the prestigious Dutch
BtaDragon Award and 10,000EUR6. Finally, in
November 2010 the American magazine Popular
Science awarded it the 2010 Grand Award of
Green Tech and the Overall Award of Popular
Science7. Petrus Hoff was invited to present his
invention at the PopTech 2010 conference in
Camden, Maine. The appearance in Popular
Science greatly increased the popularity of the
waterboxx.
The project also attracted public funding: the
Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Dutch
Province of Brabant and the EU EFROProgramme OP Zuid 2007-2013 contributed part
of the money to make the latest innovations
possible8.
The Groasis waterboxx is the means to a much
more grandiose end: stopping climate warming
and feeding the world not through government
regulation, but by planting trees on marginal, nonproductive lands. Mr. Hoff's views are laid out in
his 2008 book, "CO2: a gift from heaven", where
he calls for a global effort to reafforest 2 billion ha
worldwide9.
Fig. 2 A waterboxx installed on arid soil in Oman
Page 2
2 A short description
The waterboxx is a circular water tank made of
plastic with a radius and height of 25 cm. It is
covered by a corrugated plastic sheet slanting
inwards towards the center, where a tubular
opening allows for the planting of one or two
seedlings. The sheet covers a circular tank to be
filled with water.
Along the tubular
opening
are
two
small
pipes:
the
plastic
sheet
is
supposed
to
sequestrate
water
from the atmosphere
in the form of
condense,
which
then slides towards Fig. 3 A drawing of the waterboxx
as shown on the AquaPro website.
the central tubular
opening and reaches the water tank through the
small pipes.
On the bottom of the water tank there is a wick,

whose purpose is to drip small quantities of water
into the soil; the waterboxx can also be installed
without the overflow pipe.
Optionally, the device can be provided with two
wind protectors to anchor it to the soil and prevent
it from being blown away by strong winds. Two
nails are necessary for each anchoring pin.
The waterboxx is available in polypropylene or in
a biodegradable product called Ecopur: the former
can be re-used several times, while the latter is to
be used only once and then left to decompose,
particularly in remote regions and extremely poor
soils.
The tubular opening can accomodate one, two or

three plants, depending on the model. The model
with a double opening is more recent, and arose
from the need to reduce the economical damage if
the only plant dies. AquaPro, the company
producing the waterboxx, recommends to cut the
smaller of the two plants.
Page 3
3 Waterboxx: the concept

The waterboxx is a work of bio-mimicry: an
imitation of how nature works. Mr. Hoff observed
that while humans cultivate by plowing the soil,
under natural conditions the seeds are first
dispersed (for example by animals) and then
germinate directly in the topsoil, i.e. the top ~10cm
soil layer. Plowing destroys the capillary canals
present in the soil, but in nature they stay intact and
help retain the humidity necessary for the seed to
germinate.
Zoochory, or seed transportation by animals,
provides another lesson on how to protect a
growing seedling: a seed ingested by an animal and
then excreted with the feces can use the water and
nutrients in the feces to grow. The feces also
prevent evaporation and keep the water stored in
the subsoil capillary canals.
Finally, many plants survive in extremely arid
conditions by absorbing morning dew and
occasional fog, like Tillandsia spp. and some
lichens and pine seedlings10.
The waterboxx design takes the points above into
account: the seed is sown on the topsoil without
damaging the subsoil capillaries, and the
waterboxx is put on top of it. The waterboxx,
basically a round hollow plastic tank, prevents
water evaporation just like animal feces do in
nature; finally, the water tank creates a temperature
differential that causes water vapour condensation.
the lower inside temperature and the higher outside

temperature causes the atmospheric water vapor to
condense on the outside cover of the waterboxx.
From there, it drips through internal tubes to the
inside water tank and is then conveyed to the
underneath soil by means of a wick. The system is
able to collect rainwater in a similar way.
The waterboxx has the advantage of stabilizing soil
temperature: the water present in the tank and the
water regularly dripped into the soil can buffer
temperature fluctuations because of water's high
specific heat capacity, i.e. the high amount of
energy necessary to alter water temperature. Mr.
Hoff claims the soil temperature below the
waterboxx is about 25C11. This is a very important
feature for a product to be used in desert areas,
where daily temperature excursion can run in the
dozens of Celsius degrees and plants may not be
able to survive.
Fig. 5 The primary root reaches water 2 meters underground.
Temperature regulation is not limited to the soil,

but extends to the plant micro-climate as well. The
young plants are surrounded by the waterboxx
water tank: the inside water absorbs heat during the
day and releases it during the night, stabilizing air
temperature around the plant. And as long as the
plant is smaller than the waterboxx height, it is
protected from strong and dry winds as well.
Fig. 4 The wick drips approximately of 50 ml per day in the soil

under the waterboxx.
The waterboxx tank, filled with water, will stay

cooler in the morning when the outside air
temperature starts to rise. The difference between
By completely surrounding the plants, the

waterboxx also has the advantage of preventing
weed growth and of protecting the plant from
damage by rodents12. Labor costs for weeding are
also reduced.
Page 4
4 The components
The waterboxx
components:
consists
of
seven
different
Water tank: the water

tank is the main body of
the device. It is circular
or elliptical in shape and
delimited by 25cm-high
edges. In the center, a
tubular duct opens to Fig. 5 The water tank, the main
body of the waterboxx.
uncover a small portion
of the underlying ground. The mid-plate and the
cover sheet can be secured to the tank structure.
Additionally, two openings at the bottom of the
tank can accommodate the wind protectors, and a
hole can accommodate the wick;
Wick: the wick is a cotton
pipe of 25cm of length. It
must be inserted in the
hole at the bottom of the
water tank, with about half
the length inside the tank
and half outside. It drips
water collected in the tank
from the atmosphere into
the underlying soil;
added to the tank. The corrugation pattern allows

the condense droplets to easily flow downwards
towards the siphons,
from where they reach
the tank and, through the
wick,
ultimately
the
ground. The cover sheet
also
doubles
as
a
growing
surface
for
climbing
plants
like Fig. 8 The cover sheet mounted
on top of the mid-plate.
tomatoes or pumpkins;
Wind protectors: the wind protectors are small
plastic plaques shaped like the AquaPro logo (see
Fig. 5 and 8). The can be clicked into place at the
bottom of the water tank and need to be nailed into
the ground to prevent wind damage. They are
optional and need to be ordered separately.
Alternatively, some rocks or heavy material can be
used to hold down the water tank;
Siphons: the siphons are two small pipes to be
inserted next to the central opening on the cover
sheet. They gather the water from the cover sheet
and convey it to the underlying tank;
Fig. 6 The cotton wick at the

bottom of the tank.
Mid-plate: the mid plate is a plastic disc slightly

smaller in radius than the water tank. It has an 8shaped hole allowing for the central opening in the
waterboxx, and a further hole to let water inside
from the top opening in the cover sheet. The midplate needs to be secured
to the water tank. It
separates the water from
the outside air: the shaft is
cooler than the outside in
the morning, and causes
water vapor condensation Fig. 7 The mid plate mounted
on the tank.
on the plastic cover sheet;
Cap: this is is a round plastic

cap sealing the water tank and
the whole waterboxx. When
open, water can be poured into
the inside. Otherwise it should
always be kept closed to Fig. 9 The cap and the
siphons.
prevent evaporation.
Additionally, the installation set consists of a

paperboard to be laid on top of the seedlings (see
Fig. 11 on the following page). This is the first
protection against evaporation and can have one,
two or three holes, depending on the number of
seedlings to be used per box.
Cover sheet: the cover sheet is a corrugated,

round plastic sheet that slopes inwards towards the
center at an angle of 45 degrees. It has an 8-shaped
opening in the middle, a simple compass shape for
easier orientation, two smaller holes to secure the
siphons and a round hole from which water can be
Page 5
5 Using the waterboxx

A number of variables have to be taken into
account while designing a waterboxx installation,
such as climate, temperature, rainfall, soil or
growing medium, wind and sun exposure.
Installing the waterboxx requires the following
steps:
The use of the capillary drill has the added

advantage of requiring little manpower in areas
where providing for workers is hard or impossible,
like deserts and remote regions. Finally, the drill
allows to exactly calculate the time and cost of
preparing the soil, thus making budgets more
consistent.
5.1 Soil preparation

5.2 Orientation
It is crucial that the waterboxx is levelled
horizontally and to guarantee efficient collection of
the condensed water. The underlying soil must be
horizontal as well and free from rubble. Aquapro
suggests to dig a hole with a diameter of 60 cm and
a depth of maximum 10 cm; the dug up earth will
be used later on in the installation to protect the
waterboxx from the wind blowing underneath the
water tank.
Some rocky terrains have developed no soil at all,
or what there is is too hard for water to penetrate,
as in the case of a hardpan developing on top of
limestone soils. In these cases digging a hole can
prove hard or impossible, and Mr. Hoff suggests to
use a capillary drill instead.
The waterboxx has an 8-shaped central opening

where two small trees can be sown or planted. It is
important that the two plants receive the most
sunlight when it is least damaging, i.e. in the
morning and evening, and the least during the
afternoon heat. Care must be given to installing the
device with the holes in a East-West direction: a
compass shape on the cover sheet helps
determining North and South.
5.3 Laying the paperboard
AquaPro supplies paperboard sheets with one, two
or three holes. As explained above, the paperboard
is a first barrier against evaporation and covers that
part of the soil not directly supporting the water
tank.
The paperboard should be laid on top of the
planting soil with the holes oriented in a East-West
direction; the holes in the paper should be used as
marker for the planting holes, to be dug with with a
small shovel or a hollow awl. The hole depth
depends on the plant species: ideal planting depth
is usually 2-3 times the seed size13.
Fig. 10 The capillary drill mounted on a tractor.
A capillary drill is an automatically balanced drill

that can be connected to a tractor lift. It can drill a
horizontally levelled, 60cm-diameter hole within
30 seconds. The capillary drill can break through
the hardpan but still leave the subsoil capillary
canals intact. Initially developed in the mining
industry, it has been adapted by Mr. Hoff for
agriculture. It is still at a prototype stage and can
be rented from AquaPro at a fee. Note that this
could indeed prove useful on the hard Apulian clay
soils.
Fig. 11 A three-hole paperboard on top of

germinating seed.
Page 6

5.4 Planting the seedlings
Mr. Hoff recommends using water-soaked seed for
planting because it gives the highest planting
results. Alternatively, he recommends to have
young plants bred especially for the planting,
although he admits that the resulting primary roots
will be weaker. He recommends not to transplant
the young trees in order not to hurt the primary
roots in the process14.
The twinboxx variant of the waterboxx allows for
two or three plants. A number of strategies can be
used, for example growing a small fruit tree as
cash crop and a taller hardwood tree as a longerterm investment, or two trees of the same species
of which only the strongest will be kept, or two
cereal plants, or again just one climbing plant and a
support15.
5.5 Placing the water tank
Before placing the waterboxx on the soil, the wick
and the wind protectors must be put in place. The
wick should be inserted in the apposite hole on the
bottom of the water tank: about half of the cotton
should stay on the inside, and half on the outside.
The wind protectors are optional and need to be
ordered separately; they can be clicked into place
on the bottom of the water tank.
If wind-protectors are in use, they need to be nailed

into the soil once the water tank is in place. Special
nails are delivered together with the wind
protectors. If no wind-protectors are in use, it is
suggested to put a weight of about 3kg, for
example stones, in the water tank.
5.6 Mounting the waterboxx
The isolation plate, or mid-plate, needs to be put in
place on top of the water tank. The cover sheet
must be placed immediately on top of the midplate: it will click into place along the edges of the
water tank. Both the mid-plate and the cover sheet
have an 8-shaped opening that will fit exactly on
top of the similarly shaped relief on the water tank.
5.7 Final preparations
The earth that was first removed when preparing
the soil should now be added around the bottom of
the waterboxx to prevent evaporation and the wind
from blowing underneath the box.
Once the soil is in place, enough water should be
added to fill up the water tank (about 16 liters) and
4 more liters should be poured through the central
opening onto the ground.
Fig. 13 The blue siphons are to be inserted in the apposite slots.
Fig. 12 The bottom of a waterboxx with a mounted wick, ready to

be put on top of two seedlings.
The water tank should be placed so that the central

tubular openings correspond to the holes in the
paperboard. One should make sure not to damage
the plants, seeds or other planting materials while
placing the water tank.
The final pieces still need to be mounted: the blue

siphons need to be pushed into the apposite
openings and clicked in the correct position, and
the water tank needs to be sealed with the cap.
A layer of about 3 cm of soil should be added to
the ground through the central opening for further
protection against wind, animals, and evaporation.
Page 7

5.8 Removing the waterboxx
After about one year the plant primary roots should
have grown deep enough to reach the underground
water and have become strong enough to survive
without the help of the waterboxx. This stage
becomes evident when the trees exhibit a strong
growth phase. When this happens, the
polypropylene waterboxx can be removed and used
for a new planting. Note that AquaPro claims that a
polypropylene model can be re-used 10-20 times:
in order to get an idea of the average cost per
planting, a pricelist is included at Item II of the
Addenda.
If the model used has a double opening for two or

three plants, and more than one plant has suvived,
this is also the time to cut the weakest of the plants
and leave the fittest to grow.
In case the biodegradable, "Ecopur" model is in
use, there is no need to remove the waterboxx, and
usually this was not the intention in the first place:
the device can be left where it is. It will protect the
trees for longer, decompose and release its
nutrients in the environment. The decayed
waterboxx will increase the soil nutrient content.
The soil now laying bare should be protected with

a layer of paperboard, sand, cloth or hay to prevent
excessive evaporation and curb weed growth.
Page 8
6 Logging procedure
AquaPro encourages individuals and institutions to
experiment with the waterboxx and make their
results public. To this end, a section of the website
is dedicated to collecting information and making
it accessible to third parties. Registered users can
submit their data to the AquaPro database.
In order to make results comparable, AquaPro
recommends a standard procedure to gather
results. Next to information about place, local
climate conditions, soil quality and species, data
can be entered about temperature and relative
humidity.
In particular, AquaPro recommends to use two
electronic loggers, one to be exposed to the outside
air but not to sunlight, for example under a roof,
and one inside the water tank. The logged data can
then be uploaded to the website at the address
http://testform.groasis.com/. Additionally, a soil
thermometer can be used to log soil temperature.
Fig. 14 One of the loggers needs to be inside the waterboxx.
AquaPro requires a control group of 2-10 saplings

of Cupressus sempervirens (cypress), wherever in
the world the planting is taking place.
Standardized climate information is to be retrieved

from the National Climatic Data Center website
(http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html).
AquaPro recommends using the Lascar Easylog
EL-USB-2-LCD logger. A very detailed procedure
is available on the company website15.
Page 9
7 Experiments
The Groasis website claims that the waterboxx has
been tested in the United States, the Netherlands,
Morocco, Spain, France and Kenya. The range of
species is quite large, ranging from fruits and
vegetables plants like grapes (Vitis vinifera) and
squash (Cucurbita pepo), to hardwood species like
holly (Quercus ilex), bushes and bio-fuel plants
(Jatropha spp.).
AquaPro claims that some of the tested plants have
medicinal properties: Warburgia ugandensis is
supposed to cure malaria and Moringa oleifera is
supposed to cure AIDS16. However, the
AgroForestry Tree Database puts these claims17,18
into question, and a study by the German GTZ
questions Jatropha's value as a bio-fuel crop19. A
full list of the species used in 2010/2011 can be
found in the Addenda at the end of the report.
Pipes Canyon and Preserve Whitewater, in WestSahara with the cooperation of the University of
Agadir, and in seven Spanish provinces with the
cooperation of the University of Valladolid20. The
website does not specify which provinces.
The waterboxx was used for landscaping and
urban landscaping purposes at the Port of Sohar in
Oman and for regreening purposes at sites owned
by the Union Minera del Norte, a Spanish coal
mining company. Further plantings are mentioned
in Ecuador, Mongolia and India, but the website
does not expand on these claims21.
The initial tests took place in the Moroccan Sahara

with the support of Mohammed I University of
Oujda, Morocco. Plantings have also occurred at
US vineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, at
the Californian Preserve Dos Palmas, Preserve
8 Test results
The weakest point in the Groasis waterboxx
project is the lack or peer-reviewed evidence and
publicly accessible data. Very little detail is
provided about experiment design and results.
Whatever results are available are of dubious
significance: for example, regarding the planting
for Minera del Norte, Mr. Hoff claims that
"although Spain had one of its hottest summers in
2010 the planting experiment showed a result of
over 95% success ratio"22, with no further
elaboration.
The site page dedicated to research turns out to be

just a commercial for the device23, just like the
pages supposedly reporting the experiment
results24. The web page where growth data can be
logged is only accessible for registered users, and
all it shows are pictures of "successful" plantings.
The company left unanswered my emails asking
for more information.
While AquaPro is a commercial venture and
understandably needs to promote its product, the
lack of presented evidence is a major weakness.
No research papers are quoted, and none can be

found on the JSTOR and IngentaConnect academic
databases. A search with Google Scholar only
returns an invitation to test the product.
Page 10
9 Suitability for organic farming

There are no reasons to believe that the adoption of
the waterboxx would in any way breach the EU
Regulation 2092/9125, the most important
regulation in organic farming. If outside inputs are
kept within the parameters given in the Regulation
Annexes, no problem should arise. However the
Technical Service should be contacted, if
necessary, to confirm this.
National regulations can be stricter than the
European one. In particular, the Bio Austria
General Standard26, the Bio Suisse Standard27 and
the UK Soil Association Organic Standards28 place
restrictions on hydroponics and other soil-less
techniques. While the waterboxx clearly uses soil,
similar techniques like bottle-irrigation are
assimilated to hydroponics: the Technical Service
should clarify whether this would somehow breach
national regulations.
An
article
from
the
Dutch
magazine
Groenten&Fruit Actueel shows an organic farmer
using the waterboxx in a greenhouse29, so we could
conclude that using the device does not breach
organic regulations. However the article raises
more questions: no dew can develop at the almost
constant temperatures inside a greenhouse, so one
has to wonder about the added value of the
waterboxx.
If the Council is to decide to proceed with our own
field tests, our certification organization ICEA
should be contacted for clarifications as well.
Page 11
10 Conclusion
Mr. Hoff's invention seems to be quite promising: many of our eroding fields in Southern Italy could
benefit from it, and it could be an improvement over gravitational irrigation for our fruit fields in the
North. Members planning to upgrade their watering systems to sprinklers or drip-irrigators could combine
those systems with the waterboxx. The cooperative members could certainly benefit from reduced
irrigation costs and improved soil quality. However the waterboxx cannot be recommended for extended
usage at the present stage: too little test results are available.
Among the good sides of the product are the sound understanding of root growth and the thorough
troubleshooting and design improvements over the years. Positive reviews in the press and by prize
committees are encouraging, and the product does not violate any EU and national organic standards,
although the Technical Service could be contacted for further clarifications on this point.
What really is missing are peer-reviewed test results and references from the academic and agronomical
community; without those, the waterboxx should not be introduced. The cooperative should instead wait
for more conclusive research or carry out its own tests.
Page 12
References
1
Hoff, P. (2009) CO2, a gift from heaven. 2nd ed. Eburon, Delft, the Netherlands.
Holland (2007) AquaPro Project Presentation [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/download/aquapro_project_presentation.pdf> [Accessed 13 September 2011].
5 AquaPro Holland (2007) Press Presentation [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/publications.php> [[Accessed 16 September 2011].
6 Eburon Academic Publishers (2010) Eburon-Auteur wint prestigieuze BtaDragons prijs [online]
Available at: <http://www.eburon.nl/eburon_auteur_wint_prestigieuze_beta_dragons_prijs>
[Accessed 16 September 2011].
7 Popular Science (2010) The best of what's new 2010 Grand Awards [online] Available at:
<http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010/awards> [Accesses 16 September 2011].
8 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Stimulus [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/stimulis.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
9 Hoff, P. (2009) CO , a gift from heaven (p. 82). 2nd ed. Eburon, Delft, the Netherlands.
2
10 J. L. Andrade Dew deposition on epiphytic bromeliad leaves: an important event in a Mexican tropical
dry deciduous forest, Journal of Tropical Ecology (2003), 19: 479-488.
11-12 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Principle [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/principle.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
13 "Sowing." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation [online] Available at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowing> [Accessed September 16 2011].
14 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Planting materials [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/material.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011]
15 AquaPro Holland (2010) Manual [online] Available at:
<http://testform.groasis.com/upload/manual_en.pdf> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
16 AquaPro Holland (2011) International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011 [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/download/species.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
17 AgroForestry Tree Database, Warburgia ugandensis [online] Available at:
<http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/products/afdbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1699>
18 AgroForestry Tree Database, Moringa oleifera [online] Available at:
<http://www.worldagroforestry.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1169>
19 Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (2009) Jatropha Reality Check,
GTZ Regional Energy Advisory Platform (East Africa), Nairobi.
20 AquaPro Holland (2011) Advanced overview of plantings [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/download/overview_plantings.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
21 AquaPro Holland (2011) Press / Photo library [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/photoalbum.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
22 AquaPro Holland (2011) Experience in gravel in Oman and mine spills in Spain [online] Available at
<http://www.groasis.com/download/Groasis%20waterboxx%20introduction%20for%20the%20recovery%
20of%20mine%20spills.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
23 AquaPro Holland (2011) Technology / Research [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/research.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
24 AquaPro Holland (2011) Experimental results [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/exp_results.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
2-4 AquaPro
Page 13

25
Regulation (EC) 2007/834 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products
and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91, OJ L 189, p. 1 of 20.7.2007.
26 Bio Austria Verein zur Frderung des Biologischen Landbaus
(2010), Produktionsrichtlinien Fassung September 2010 [online]
Available at: <http://www.bio-austria.at/content/download/28687/207257/file/Richtlinien_2010.pdf>
27 Bio Suisse (2011) Bio Suisse Standards, Edition of 1.1.2011 [online] Available at: <http://www.biosuisse.ch/en/library/import/standards.php> [Accessed September 20 2011].
28 Soil Association (2011), Soil Association organic standards for producers, revision 16.4 June 2011
[online] Available at:
<http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ic4qKgG2aiM%3d&tabid=353> [Accessed 20
September 2011].
29 Visser, P. (2011, September 6) Tomaten plukken in woestijnbestendige teelt. Groenten&Fruit
ACTUEEL, p. 19.
Page 14
Addenda
Item 1: International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011
Item 2: the AquaPro pricelist
Page I
Item I: International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011

UNITED STATES
Whitewater (High Desert), Mission Springs
(Low Desert), Dos Palmas (Salton Sea), CA
Honey Mesquite -- Prosopis glandulosa
Screwbean Mesquite -- Prosopis pubescens
Blue Paloverde -- Parkinsonia florida
Sugarbush Rhus ovata
Velvet Ash Fraxinus velutina
California Sycamore Platanus racemosa
Holly Leaf Cherry - Prunus ilicifolia
Wishbone Bush - Mirabilis bigelovii
Cheesebush - Hymenoclea salsola
Paperbag Bush - Salazaria mexicana
Beargrass - Nolina parryi
Joshua Tree - Yucca brevifolia
Apricot Mallow - Sphaeralcea ambigua
California-Napa,Sonoma:
Vines
Chardonnay Vitis vinifera
Zinfandel Vitis vinifera
Vegetable
Squash Cucurbita pepo
HOLLAND
English Oak - Quercus robur
Irish Yew - Taxus baccata aurea fastigiata
MOROCCO
Argan - Argania spinosa
SPAIN
Stone Pine - Pinus pinea
Maritime Pine - Pinus pinaster
Portuguese Oak - Faginea
Almond - Almendra
Hawthorn - majuelo
Poplar - alamo
Holly Oak - Quercus ilex
Pine - Pinus spp.
Cherry - Cerezos
Juniper - Juniperus spp.
Scots Pine - Pino silvestre
Sessile Oak - Roble albar
Birch - Petrea abedal
FRANCE
Maple - Acer monspessulanum
Boxwood - Buxus serpervirens
Mastic - Pinus halepensis
Evergreen - Pistacier lentiscus
Mahaleb cherry - Prunus mahaleb
Laurestine - Viburnum tinus
KENYA
Plant resources:
Biodiesel - Jatropha spp.
Neem tree - Azadirachta indica
Prostrate - Prunus africana
AIDS - Moringa oleifera
Malaria - Warbugia ugandensis
Acacia species:
tortilis
mellifera
hockii
seyal
xonthophloea
Trees with timber value:
Menu oak - Vitex keniensis
Elegon teak - Olea welwitschii
African cedar - Junipera procera
Fruits - climbers and runners:
Strawberry-Fragaria virginiana
Passion fruit - Passiflora edulis
Fruits - trees:
Orange - Citrus sinesis
Mango - Fera indica
Lemon - Citrus limon
Pawpaw - Papaya crica
Avocado - Persea americana
Oil plants
Palm oil - Elaeis guineensis
Rape - Brassica napus
Soya - Glycine max
Date palm - Phoenix dactylifera
Page I I
International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011 (continued)

Vegetables
Carrots - Daucus carota
Cabbage - Brassica oleracea
Tomatoes - Solanum spp.
Radish - Raphanus sativus
Legumes
Beans - Phaseolus spp.
Black beans - Lablab albus
Page I I I
Item II: the AquaPro pricelist
Page I V

Water Saving Measures of Using The Groasis Waterboxx in Organic Gardening in Desert Regions

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Potential adoption of water-saving measures by members

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

1 About the Groasis waterboxx

waterboxx, 89,5% died, and 10,5% were alive and

Fig. 2 A waterboxx installed on arid soil in Oman

ISTC 01 Technical Communication Techniques - Diego Schiavon, #7937

Report: the Groasis waterboxx

On the bottom of the water tank there is a wick,

The tubular opening can accomodate one, two or

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

3 Waterboxx: the concept

the lower inside temperature and the higher outside

Fig. 5 The primary root reaches water 2 meters underground.

Temperature regulation is not limited to the soil,

Fig. 4 The wick drips approximately of 50 ml per day in the soil

The waterboxx tank, filled with water, will stay

By completely surrounding the plants, the

ISTC 01 Technical Communication Techniques - Diego Schiavon, #7937

Report: the Groasis waterboxx

Water tank: the water

added to the tank. The corrugation pattern allows

Fig. 6 The cotton wick at the

Mid-plate: the mid plate is a plastic disc slightly

Cap: this is is a round plastic

Additionally, the installation set consists of a

Cover sheet: the cover sheet is a corrugated,

Report: the Groasis waterboxx

5 Using the waterboxx

The use of the capillary drill has the added

5.1 Soil preparation

The waterboxx has an 8-shaped central opening

Fig. 10 The capillary drill mounted on a tractor.

A capillary drill is an automatically balanced drill

Fig. 11 A three-hole paperboard on top of

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

If wind-protectors are in use, they need to be nailed

Fig. 13 The blue siphons are to be inserted in the apposite slots.

Fig. 12 The bottom of a waterboxx with a mounted wick, ready to

The water tank should be placed so that the central

The final pieces still need to be mounted: the blue

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

If the model used has a double opening for two or

The soil now laying bare should be protected with

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Report: the Groasis waterboxx

Fig. 14 One of the loggers needs to be inside the waterboxx.

AquaPro requires a control group of 2-10 saplings

Standardized climate information is to be retrieved

ISTC 01 Technical Communication Techniques - Diego Schiavon, #7937