Agriculture continues to account for over 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, despite extensive research into water conservation methods in food production. A significant portion of this water usage is attributed to irrigation. In vegetable crops, the traditional raised bed system with plastic mulch can reduce irrigation application by minimizing evaporative losses. However, this system does not prevent water and nutrient losses to deep percolation or lateral movement outside the bed area. Therefore, this study evaluates an alternative raised bed system (H2grow), and compares its impact on water use, yield, and fruit quality in bell pepper production against the conventional raised bed system. Six treatments were tested, which included three nitrogen (N) application rates in both raised bed systems (bed type). A split-plot design was used, with bed type as the primary factor and nitrogen rates as the secondary factor. All treatments were replicated four times. Soil moisture sensors were used to trigger irrigation when soil moisture levels fall below 90% field capacity. Soil moisture, nutrient levels, and tissue nutrient content were monitored throughout the growing season. Yield and fruit quality (fruit wall thickness), were assessed at harvest. Preliminary results show that cumulative water use under the H2grow was 33% lower than the conventional raised bed, regardless of nitrogen application rates. This corresponds to a water savings of 1460 m³/ha. Although there were no significant differences in yield or wall thickness between bed types; the H2grow system showed promising potential over conventional beds with a p-value of 0.08 for yield and 0.06 for wall thickness. Nitrogen application rates had no significant effect on yield or fruit wall thickness, though fruit biomass was lowest under the low-N treatment. These findings demonstrate that the H2grow system significantly conserves water in bell pepper production and has the potential to reduce the water footprint in commercial vegetable production. As water conservation becomes an increasing concern in agriculture, this innovative technology offers a critical solution to address the growing challenge of freshwater use in food production.
