Fertigation: All-The-Rage Agricultural Technology

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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.

What Is Fertigation?

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 Malhotra, S. (2016, October). Water Soluble Fertilizers in Horticultural Crops – An appraisal. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 86(10), 1245-1256... Apart from supplying nutrients properly, some fertilizers can perform acidic functions and boost soil properties.

Advantages Of Fertigation

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.

Disadvantages Of Fertigation

While fertigation has numerous advantages in terms of crop growth and nutrient control, it does have some drawbacks that should be taken into account as well:

For a fertigation system to function properly, expensive components, including pumps, injectors, tanks, and controllers, are typically required.

Maintaining a fertigation system calls for routine upkeep, such as cleaning and inspection.

Fertigation success is constrained by the efficacy of the irrigation system. Crops risk not getting sufficient water and nutrients if the system is poorly constructed or operated.

Over-fertilization can occur during the process of fertigation if the nutritional mix is imbalanced or the system is not well regulated. This can cause serious harm or even death to the plants.

Fertigation might become a problem in places where electricity is scarce or intermittent.

Whether or not to use precision fertigation, like most agricultural technologies and automation options, typically boils down to the number of acres of the crop being cultivated. While fertigation technologies might not be cost-effective for smaller farmers, for larger agribusinesses, they almost surely would be. Because of their scalability, fertigation systems are a good option for rapidly growing agricultural enterprises.

How Fertigation System Works

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.

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