Agriculture · Application

Nuts & fruit trees

WaterPearls can be used in a variety of orchards like almond, walnut, hazelnut, apple, pears, etc.

WaterPearls mats laid across an almond orchard floor in Woodland, California

In the field

WaterPearls mats laid across an almond orchard, over or under the existing irrigation lines.

Up to 25–50% of irrigation water is lost to evaporation — UN FAO

−50%

Water input reduced

+20-30%

Yield increase

50 yr

Maintenance-free lifespan

How it works

A “drop it and forget it” solution.

Inserted in mats

Thousands of WaterPearls are inserted in mats.

Laid on the ground

Mats are laid on the ground over or under irrigation lines and secured with pegs.

Walk-on ready

Workers can walk on them with ease.

Performance

Measurable results in the orchard.

Reduce water input by up to 50%
Increase yield by up to 30% by shifting evaporation to evapotranspiration
Reduce nutrient input by keeping soil at optimal moisture level
Eliminate the use of herbicides or cover crop maintenance as mats provide an air and water permeable cover
Increase agricultural productivity of rainfed farmland closer to that of irrigated farmland

WaterPearls mats laid around a young tree, before the soil cover

Benefits

Built for the full orchard lifecycle.

Facilitate transition to organic agriculture
No maintenance or upkeep for up to 50 years
Reduce water pumping costs for irrigated orchards
Improve soil health and biota
Improve resilience to climate change and extreme weather events

Field trial · Woodland, California

Measured in a real almond orchard.

In the summer of 2022, WaterPearls mats were installed over the root zone of an almond orchard near Woodland, California, and monitored with multi-depth soil-moisture sensors through 75 consecutive days without rain.

Soil-moisture sensors placed at 6-inch intervals down to 48 inches, comparing treated rows against an untreated control
Up to 3× more water stored in the soil profile under the WaterPearls mats
Moisture recharged toward maximum infiltration capacity within roughly 3.5 months
Lower irrigation draw over time — water that stays available for downstream users in the watershed

Intermediate results from a 2022 field trial, reported by RHST Industries. Performance varies with crop, climate and coverage. Download the case study (PDF) →