Are Farmers Able To Benefit From Precision Irrigation?

Precision irrigation means: having water (and nutrients, when irrigation is employed for fertigation) carry the right to the roots of the plants, precisely when the plants need it, and in just the correct quantity they need.

Fremont, CA: Precision irrigation would support to comply with the new environmental policies and encounter the growing demand

By 2050, the rising rate of the Earth’s population is expected to double the need for agricultural produce. However, considering the scarcity of water, lack of arable land and climate changes, even at this current moment, it is evident that agriculture needs to immensely increase its productivity while increasing the efficiency of resource utilization.

WhatWhat is more, significant environmental policies like the Green Deal are being enforced in agriculture. Those policies need more efficient usage of natural resources and cleaner, healthier agricultural produce.

• Irrigating the plant roots, not the soil

Water is a costly natural resource that is getting scarcer and more difficult to secure following climate changes. Because of the insufficiency of even drinking water at times, it is getting harder for farmers to secure water for land irrigation purposes. Hence, continuing with traditional irrigation methods that water the soil around the plant, with no benefit for the plant grown, is entirely irrational. Instead, the water must be brought right to the root of the plant so that it can be deleted only by the plant itself.

Drip irrigation is the most efficient system that brings water to the roots. It guarantees that no single drop of water would get wasted via evaporation and allows water delivery at low energy costs. Automated precision farming solutions incorporate smoothly with any drip irrigation, regardless of whether it is installed and functional on the farm or is about to be set up.

• Watering the plant when the plant requires this, in just the right amount

Every crop has separate irrigation specifics, also depending on the stage of the plant growth. Knowing the irrigation requirements of the plant at any particular moment leads to a better taste of the plant fruit, more extended storage period, improved disease management, etc., all of which provide to the quality and quantity of the crop yields.

• Precision irrigation in line with the environmental conditions

The plant irrigation should also be further precise based on the parameters of the environment – humidity and temperature of the soil at a different depth, expected rain, etc.