EUROPEAN technology may allow WA producers to effectively utilise salty bore water and increase production.
A rare-earth water processor from Germany - known as the Vivifier - has been extensively trialed in agricultural and horticultural enterprises in WA and provided some startling results.
One of Perth's leading plant nurseries, Sunnyvale, began using the water processor in 2002 and noticed a big difference to its germination and growth rates.
Sunnyvale has now closed its doors to inquiries and closely guards its production rates and the Vivifier.
The Nullarbor pastoral regions have been identified as another region to greatly benefit from the use of a Vivifier.
Arubiddy station, 30km north of Cocklebiddy roadhouse, has installed two Vivifiers on bores testing at more than 7000 parts per million for salt.
The Agriculture Department is investigating the Vivifier and monitoring watering sites along with Arubiddy pastoralist Peter Brown and the Nullarbor Land Conservation District Committee.
Early observations by Mr Brown indicate sheep may already be favouring water that has passed through the Vivifier.
Mr Brown observed sheep waiting to drink from a Vivifier trough containing a dead sheep, rather than drink out of another trough close by which did not have a Vivifier attached or a carcase in it.
"The stock waited until I cleaned both troughs and 95pc milled around the vivified water trough to drink," Mr Brown said.
In the past, the bore water was too salty to carry ewes and only wethers could drink from the trough.
Mr Brown has placed a flock of pregnant Merino ewes around a trough with a Vivifier attached.
A major test for the Vivifier will be Arubiddy's lambing percentage when ewes are expected to start birthing in July.
"If this Vivifier turns salty wether water into ewe water we can increase our breeding ewe numbers," Mr Brown said.
The Agriculture Department is monitoring the Merinos' grazing distance and conducting faecal tests from the sites.
Kalgoorlie Agriculture Department senior technical officer Jim Addison is leading the investigation into the Vivifier.
Mr Addison said good quality water was the biggest issue on the Nullarbor.
He said the Vivifier had the potential to open-up pastoral land that would otherwise be of no use.
Initial results are expected next month and the Vivifier will be swapped to a trough in an adjacent paddock, where grazing will also be monitored.
Vivifier technical director Noel Sweeny has conducted trials since 2000.
Mr Sweeny said he had experienced some scepticism in the past when introducing the Vivifier to WA.
"A lot of that came out of government departments," Mr Sweeny said.
"Because they were working with technology that was 30 to 40-years-old.
"We are working with quantum science, which is a relatively new science which many people are finding hard to come to terms with."
Mr Sweeny said the Agriculture Department was the first government body to seriously investigate the potential of the Vivifier.
Mr Sweeny said he would be contacting the manufacturers of the Vivifier in Germany this week to discuss pricing options because of the interest in WA.