Saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico has farmers who rely on water from the Mississippi River looking for ways to save their produce.
Projections show the saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico continues to push up the Mississippi River in the coming weeks, threatening the drinking water of thousands of people in Louisiana. Farmers are also scrambling for ways to save their produce. Commissioner for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain said Plaquemines Parish is the heartbeat of Louisiana’s citrus industry. He added saltwater can have an effect on citrus plants at any stage.
Saltwater can start to take effect on citrus plants causing drooping or yellow leaves. Leaving farmers with moments to save their plant. Star Nursery owner Joseph Ranatza says he has never seen a saltwater threat this bad before. He said he is unsure how his citrus orders across the country will be affected. Ranatza’s nursery uses water that is from the Mississippi River. With the threat of saltwater looming, he has redesigned his nursery and has moved away from watering the entire plant.
The plant can absorb more salt through the root system than it can overhead," Ranatza said. "The salt will burn the foliage of the plant and that’s what will kill the plant itself." Ranatza now gives the smallest amount of water possible to the base of the plant. Running plastic tubes on top of the plant to slowly drip water into the pot. "Since we’ve had the intrusion, we put everything under drip irrigation.
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