Center for Produce Safety: A pair of research projects that focus on Salmonella and its relationship to irrigation water are designed to help Southeastern producers better understand associated risks and steps they can take to address them. The first one, led by George Vellidis, Ph.D. and a professor in the University of Georgia’s Crop and Soil Sciences Department, looked at whether Salmonella moves through irrigation systems of Southeastern produce farms. Part of the project … examined water sampling methods.

The second project was led by Vellidis and co-investigator Karen Levy. It looked at whether splash up from overhead irrigation could contribute to Salmonella contamination of produce.

Vellidis and colleagues collected samples monthly from five Georgia ponds and found low concentrations of Salmonella in all five. Whether an individual sample tested positive for the pathogen depended on the time of year and whether it was collected before or after a rain. For example, 33 percent of samples collected before a rain were positive compared to 58 percent of samples collected after a rain. The concentrations of Salmonella in samples also were higher after a rain.

Read the full article at the Center for Produce Safety [US] website