With California now firmly entrenched in its fourth drought year in a row, the irrigation industry is rightly focused on water efficiency.
Paul McFadden, who is senior sales manager for Toro Micro-Irrigation, El Cajon, CA, said while the focus is clear, that doesn’t always mean using less water. “It’s an equation: units of input vs. units of output.”
WATER EFFICIENCY EQUATION: Reducing Use Per Unit Gaining Traction Read More »
Vegetable growers in Florida are using plasticulture and drip irrigation best practices to improve water and nutrient management on more than 5,000 acres of production. And the effort is paying off, according to one Extension official familiar with the practice.
Bob Hochmuth, Extension agent for the University of Florida (UF), made a presentation at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO in Grand Rapids, Michigan that focused on the management of drip Irrigation. He described a process of securing adequate moisture in the root zone without over-filling.
“The increased concern over the impact of agricultural practices on water quality in Florida has resulted in the grower’s need to adopt best management practices (BMPs),” Hochmuth said. “The successful adoption of BMPs in plasticulture production of vegetables in north Florida has been greatly facilitated by Extension programs in conjunction with industry and other agency involvement.
“Growers are more likely to adopt BMPs when they can evaluate them on their own farm,” he said. “Long-term educational program efforts – including hands-on teaching workshops at a research facility combined with on-farm demonstrations – proved to be a very effective strategy in helping vegetable growers using drip irrigation and plasticulture improve water and nutrient management practices.”
Over the years, we’ve created several helpful guides, tools, videos, and webpages to help growers, like you, learn about drip irrigation and get the most from a drip system. Explore our archive of drip irrigation resources for agricultural and greenhouse drip irrigation applications, including the Toro Ag award-winning Drip Irrigation Guide: Owner’s Manual, a guide to Toro Ag Educational and Technical Resources, a Subsurface Drip Irrigation Guide, and more!
Drip Irrigation Resources Read More »
Toro’s drip irrigation tape products are innovative steps in the evolution of drip irrigation. Aqua-Traxx drip tape, the original drip irrigation tape, provides unmatched clog resistance, durability and precision placement of your valuable water and fertilizer. New FlowControl drip tape— the only flow regulating drip irrigation tape available — is Toro’s latest advancement in the evolution of drip irrigation, giving you increased uniformity and control wherever you farm.
Market demands, weather patterns and resource availability change every day, so precision agriculture practices must evolve to stay ahead. From increasing yield and improving quality to making the best use of available resources. Irrigation technology is evolving, too — first flood, then pivot and now drip irrigation. Each step giving you more precise control over the time, energy and water you invest in your crop.
VIDEO: Aqua-Traxx Drip Irrigation Tape – A New Level of Irrigation Control Read More »
After several years of intense and dedicated development, Toro has launched FlowControl Drip Tape, an exciting new product that creates an entirely new category within the drip irrigation marketplace. In the past, growers had to choose between uniformity and control over flow rates. Now, FlowControl drip tape gives growers the best of both worlds: improved uniformity (compared to turbulent flow devices), and superior ability to control the overall system flow rate (compared to pressure-compensating devices).
This innovative new product gives growers a level of control not possible in the past. Now growers have a new tool to help them achieve their objectives – increasing yield and quality, while at the same time using water, fertilizers and other resources in the best way possible.
NEW FlowControl Drip Tape Gives Growers the Best of Both Worlds Read More »
Drip irrigation systems aren’t rocket science. They’re durable and built to last for reasonable lengths of time, and with the proper care, can last far longer than expected. In most cases, the environment and crop application will dictate the type of product you use. These are five different water distribution / drip irrigation product types.
5 Components Of Drip Irrigation Systems Read More »
Another season has passed, and Bob McKellip is happy to report that his second year of utilizing drip irrigation on mint was even better than the first. “This Spring, I started up the drip system and everything worked perfectly,” explains McKellip. “I have found that the system is very simple and easy to operate once it’s set-up, and that its just like any other piece of modern farm equipment. With drip, I easily spoon fed my crop with the water and fertilizer it needed on a weekly basis, and harvested unheard of yields on second-year mint – 188 pounds of mint oil per acre!”
McKellip noted that this was achieved in spite of record heat, minimal rainfall, and variable soils with differing water holding capacities. “With drip, I was able to fine tune the irrigation schedule to accommodate different soil types and get more water where it was needed.”
As a result, not only were yields boosted, but water and fertilizer use was down as well.
Drip Irrigation on Peppermint – 2013 Crop Update Read More »
According to second generation farmer, Pete Aiello, “there has been a lot of finger pointing as California endures a drought, and most of it seems to be directed toward agriculture.”
“California farmers do their best to make every drop of water count,” Pete says. “My family’s farm started installing drip irrigation systems in 1985. Local experts estimate that 80 percent of Santa Clara County’s irrigation is done through low-volume irrigation such as drip tape and micro sprinklers.”
Learn more about Pete Aiello’s take on agriculture, the California drought, and drip irrigation by clicking the title or the following link:
California Farmer Seeks Greater Efficiency with Drip Irrigation Read More »
Oregon producers, who grow about 85 percent of the nation’s carrot seeds, have cut water use in half by transitioning to drip from overhead sprinklers. Although more studies need to be done, growers also expect drip irrigation will reduce Xanthomonas, a bacterial pathogen that can be spread by sprinklers or splashing water.