Dissolved Oxygen

Dissolved oxygen (DO) in irrigation water is often overlooked, yet it plays a critical role in plant health, root respiration, and soil biology. When water entering the root zone is poor in oxygen, it doesn’t just fail to support the plant — it actively removes oxygen from the soil and roots, creating stress conditions that limit growth and productivity.

Understanding this mechanism is key to managing healthy crops, especially in greenhouses, hydroponics, and intensively irrigated soils.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors are instruments used to measure the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. They are a critical tool in agriculture, aquaculture, hydroponics, water treatment, and industrial water systems, where oxygen levels directly affect biological activity and system performance.

Groundwater, the water stored beneath the Earth’s surface in aquifers, is a crucial source of drinking water, irrigation, and industrial use. However despite its importance, groundwater often contains significantly less dissolved oxygen compared to surface water. Understanding why this occurs involves examining the physical, chemical, and biological factors that influence groundwater composition.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen gas (O₂) that is dissolved in water — and it’s one of the most important indicators of water health in agriculture, aquaculture, irrigation, and engineered water systems. Without sufficient DO, roots, fish, and beneficial microbes struggle to function properly and stay healthy.

In this article you’ll learn:

• What dissolved oxygen is

• How it behaves in water

• Why DO levels change

• How dissolved oxygen links to plant health and microbial balance

• Why advanced oxygenation technologies matter

For years, growers have relied on peroxide-based products to keep irrigation lines, nutrient tanks, and greenhouse water systems clean. While peroxide is effective at rapidly oxidizing pathogens and reducing visible biofilm, its action is temporary and superficial. As more growers transition toward precision horticulture and sustainable practices, a critical insight is becoming clear: peroxide is not treating the root cause of water-system contamination — it is only treating the symptoms.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is essential for healthy aquatic and plant systems, including irrigation, hydroponics, aquaculture, and natural waterways. However, DO levels are not fixed — they depend heavily on water temperature. As water warms, its ability to retain oxygen decreases. This is a fundamental physical property of liquids and is one of the main reasons warm irrigation or hydroponic water becomes more prone to oxygen stress and pathogen outbreaks.

When it comes to oxygenating water, nanobubble technology has become a game changer. These ultra-fine bubbles—less than 200 nanometers in diameter—stay suspended in water for long periods, resist coalescence, and continuously release oxygen as they collapse. However, there’s a critical limitation: you can’t exceed a certain dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration if you’re using air-filled nanobubbles. To push beyond that limit, a dedicated oxygen nanobubble generator is required.

As climate change accelerates, one of the most pressing challenges facing aquaculture is rising water temperatures. Fish farming—an industry that already walks a delicate balance between maintaining animal health, optimizing growth, and managing environmental impacts—faces increasing stress as oxygen levels in ponds, tanks, and coastal enclosures decline. Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, putting farmed fish at risk of slower growth, higher susceptibility to disease, and, in severe cases, mass die-offs. Innovative technologies, particularly nanobubble systems, are emerging as a promising tool to counteract this problem.