Fertigation is a widely used farming practice. It allows growers to save time, resources, and effort by completing two events at a time: fertilization and irrigation. Customization of modern fertigation systems and innovative satellite-based software enable pinpointing of variable rate fertilizer (VRF) applications. The most efficient fertigation systems are built on drip irrigation, which reduces inputs and delivers nutrients to the root zone. The technology is suitable for farm enterprises of any size since there are large and small-scale fertigation systems with manual or fully automated control.
In fertigation, liquid fertilizers are delivered to plants with irrigation. Compared to traditional fertilization methods, fertigation is more efficient in agriculture. By reducing fertilizer waste and land contamination and increasing crop production, fertigation is a win-win for farmers and the environment.
What does fertigation allow the producer to do? In line with precision farming, it enables agriculture producers to save money by applying fertilizer only where it’s needed. Automated fertigation systems make it simple for farmers to regulate nutrient application rates and schedules.
The most commonly used water-soluble fertilizers for fertigation comprise ammonium nitrate, urea ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, ammonium thiosulfate, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, and so on. Apart from supplying nutrients properly, some fertilizers can perform acidulating functions and boost soil properties.
In general, the targeted application of nutrients through fertigation helps to improve crop yields, quality, and uniformity. Also, fertigation benefits include:
- matching fertilization with crop needs;
- optimizing water consumption;
- saving costs on reduced fertilizer amounts;
- eliminating pollution of the environment by decreasing chemical applications;
- preventing fertilizer leakage due to heavy rainfall or water supply;
- tackling soil erosion;
- encouraging rapid root growth;
- positively affecting soil microbial biomass;
- reducing weed density;
- promoting simplified and automated fertilizing procedures.
The fluid form of nutrients itself is one of the many benefits of fertigation. Because plants can absorb liquid fertilizers so quickly after treatment, they are both easily accessible and effective.
Fertigation technology suggests sprinkling fertilizers into the precision irrigation system from reservoirs with water-soluble fertilizers. Typically, it is done with injectors and a pressure-controlled valve. Most fertigation systems are equipped with sensors to measure pH levels and electric conductivity. This way, necessary fertilizer rates can be determined on fields, and fertigation and irrigation system injectors can be set accordingly.
There are several types of fertigation systems, distinguished by their size and scale, management approach, and application strategy.
Fertigation systems come in many sizes and configurations to accommodate a wide range of applications. Large-scale fertigation systems are used at large enterprises to uniformly improve the soil and thus the yield of their crops. Correspondingly, small-scale fertigation systems are suitable for smaller farms or greenhouses. In these agricultural areas, field blocks are typically between 0.1 and 1 acre in size, and farmers use drip irrigation systems to deliver nutrients to their crops.
Fertigation control systems can be either manually operated or automated. When growing on a small scale, fertilizer solutions are typically mixed by hand. Every fertilizer batch is measured, dosed, modified, and blended manually. By using timers, which are often incorporated into the irrigation system, automated fertigation ensures that every single crop gets the appropriate amount of water and nutrients at precisely the right time in relation to its growth stage. In addition, automated fertigation systems accomplish it without spending the tens of thousands of man-hours needed to manually prepare and administer each nutrient formula.
Source Link: https://eos.com/blog/fertigation/#concept
