Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company) and the agricultural equipment company Netafim recently opened the Water Management Reference Unit (URMA) in Brazil. Installed in experimental fields located in the central region of the country, called Cerrados (Brazilian savannas), the experimental area extends over two hectares and is irrigated by an automated underground drip system.
According to the researchers responsible for the project, the objective will be to explore the potential of fertigation. The first tests will be conducted on soybeans, corn, beans, and other rotational crops. According to them, URMA will enable the development of studies and best agricultural practices for the sustainable development of irrigated agriculture, in addition to training irrigators in techniques and new technologies, such as digital irrigation. After technical adjustments, the first experiments should be implemented in 2024.
Fertigation is a technique that consists of applying a nutrient solution via an irrigation system, that is, water plus nutrients, thus keeping the bulb moist close to the roots enriched with fertilizers, this environment being conducive to the development and growth of plants. Fertigation management has been increasingly used by Brazilian farmers, and its purpose is to extract maximum efficiency from fertilizers, greater use by plants, reduction of labour and machinery costs, and even the possibility of more installments in fertilization when compared to conventional fertilization.
According to technicians from the Israeli company Netafim, the results of the study at URMA will be the basis for improving existing fertigation management methods. With this, irrigators will have access to technological advances, as innovations can contribute to improving the efficiency of the system, facilitating management, and benefiting the environment. Drip irrigation in cereals, explains Netafim, allows the application of nutrients, biologicals, and other products, as it delivers the input at the right time and directly to the root
of the plant. Also, according to the technicians involved, this technology is accessible to all producers, regardless of the size of the property, making it possible to save resources and achieve maximum yield in grain production.
Various experimental possibilitiesNetafim technicians were responsible for installing the hydraulic equipment and also for implementing dripping tubes in the Embrapa experimental area. Located in soil with a medium-clay texture, the URMA was divided to allow experiments with up to eight treatments with five replications, in addition to the control. The driplines are georeferenced by GPS and were buried 25 centimetres deep and spaced 80 centimetres apart.
Underground dripping allows for uniform moisture in the soil profile, making planting possible without the need for rain. Initially, millet and brachiaria forage grasses were planted to structure the soil profile and provide straw cover, conditions that will make the area suitable for receiving the first experiments. With this structure, the inaugurated experimental area will allow different types of nutrition and crop protection trials, with greater exploration of the productive potential of the varieties.
At URMA, the various available technologies will be tested, ranging from different irrigation systems focused on greater efficiency in water application, but also dripping – which has an efficiency of around 95 percent.
“Aiming to save input application, the use of the irrigation system, also called fertigation, makes it possible to apply inputs directly closer to the plant roots, the structure through which the plants feed. This makes plant nutrition more efficient and also the control of pests and diseases that impact the crop. These are some examples of technologies available for the efficient use of water and inputs in an irrigated environment”, explains Danilo Silva, agronomic managerat Netafim.
Danilo Silva, agronomic manager at Netafim.
One of the trends for the advancement of fertigation is the application of water and inputs differently according to the needs of each portion of the area, taking into account that land and soils are not homogeneous. The future, say the experts involved in the project, points to fertigation that takes these differences into account, moving towards precision irrigation. This includes the use of drones, satellites, and all technology for processing Big Data, which will ultimately provide decision-making by answering, basically, three questions: where, when, and how much fertigation will be necessary.
Another crucial point of the fertigation project is the choice of fertilizers to be used or combined. In fertigation, it is recommended to use sources that are soluble in water and have insoluble residues of less than 0.5 percent. As for purity, it is always better to opt for pure sources, to reduce impurities. The acidity of the solution, as well as that of the soil for most crops, must be between 5.5 and 6. Above this level, it may compromise some mixtures, as is the case with calcium and phosphorus in solutions with a pH above 6.3.
Therefore, when the pH of the water is greater than 7.5, calcium and magnesium can accumulate in the filters, lateral lines, and emitters of the irrigation system. After adding the fertilizer solution, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the water must not exceed 2.0 dS m-1. Its osmotic pressure must be between 70 kPa and 100 kPa. Another aspect that requires importance is the compatibility of the sources with each other and between the ions present in the water. Some mixtures can result in precipitates that cause clogging and reduced system efficiency.
The future demands sustainable agricultureSebastião Pedro, general head of Embrapa in the experimental area region, highlights that the Cerrado Biome, where the research centre operates generating technological solutions, represents more than 60 percent of national food production and is the region that should have the greatest expansion agriculture in the coming years.
Sebastião Pedro, general head of Embrapa in the experimental area region.
“We need increasingly sustainable and economically viable technologies to respond to the productive sector and irrigation will play a big role in this. We are opening a new page in our history at URMA: we will study and develop new irrigation technologies within Embrapa Cerrados, perhaps the centre that has contributed most to the development of the Cerrado over the last 50 years. We hope to generate indicators, technical coefficients, and economic analyses to scale this and other technologies,” said Pedro.
“We are celebrating the end of the operational part and the beginning of the real research and development work. I am sure that we will have synergy in this project”, said Ricardo Almeida, president of Netafim in Mercosul. Founded on a kibbutz in Israel 55 years ago, the company has grown and globalized, currently being present in 110 countries. The executive is betting on expanding the irrigated area in the Cerrado, which already has numerous irrigation pivots and areas irrigated by sprinklers.
“What we bring new is the possibility of complementing both technologies, allowing irrigation across the entire area, with a single planting date, cultural treatments, and harvest. URMA is a platform that will allow research to provide answers to producers’ concerns,” Almeida explained, pointing out opportunities for pest management and the integration of irrigation systems, different production chains, and research and commercial institutions.
According to researcher Lineu Rodrigues, deputy head of research and development at Embrapa Cerrados, the partnership with
Netafim for the implementation of URMA was born from the need to offer tools, methods, and instruments that enable greater reliability and ease in the management of irrigation and fertigation. “If the sector is already using (underground dripping), we have to research it. There are questions we need to answer. We will generate information about the technology,” he pointed out.
Lineu Rodrigues, deputy head of research and developmentat Embrapa Cerrados.
Rodrigues recalled that the dozens of instrument options available on the market to manage an irrigation system can often leave the producer confused. “Several questions must be answered before adopting new equipment or technology: what is the best option for a given situation? What is the best cost-benefit?”
Another aspect highlighted by the researcher is the lack of technical information for the new crop varieties that are launched annually: “The lack of technical coefficients representing the conditions of these new cultivars has hampered the correct management of irrigation and made modeling, simulation, and zoning work difficult, agricultural, among others”.
He explained that the implementation of URMA will have the main objectives of evaluating the performance of the underground dripping system; generating technical irrigation coefficients for the main crops in the Cerrado Biome; evaluating, adapting, and developing irrigation management techniques; evaluating irrigation management methods, models and sensors; and train irrigators in irrigation management techniques.
The results of the studies will serve as a basis for the development of protocols, tools, and methods for managing underground drip irrigation and fertigation. “With this, irrigators will have access to technological advances, as innovations can contribute to improving the efficiency of the system, facilitating management, and benefiting the environment. Water and food are strategic and there is no way to produce food without water. Any technology that contributes to increasing the efficiency of water use (and inputs) is important”, concluded the deputy head of research and development at Embrapa Cerrados.
Danilo Silva emphasizes that, based on the increasingly strong climate uncertainty, as well as the higher value of available land, the “need to verticalize production in the same area is a fact.” According to him, this corroborates the vision that irrigation will be “one of the main tools available for producers to be able to produce more within their property as well as the search for a more sustainable way of producing wherever through localized and fertigation uses less natural resources and fewer inputs for the production of the same production unit of each crop.” ●
Each year, the Irrigation Association has the honour of recognizing those in the industry who have made significant contributions and worked hard to make an impact during their career. Honouring these deserving award recipients celebrates the great work and accomplishments of those in the industry, while inspiring the next generation of leaders and innovators.
This year’s award recipients represent some of the most dedicated individuals in irrigation. They have contributed to the industry as business owners, long-time instructors, authors, course developers, advocates for students and volunteer association leaders.
These winners will be officially recognized at the 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week in San Antonio, Nov. 27-Dec. 1.
Industry Achievement AwardThe 2023 Industry Achievement Award was presented to Craig Borland, CIC, CID, CIT, CLIA, CLWM, of The Toro Company. This award is the IA’s highest honour and recognizes an individual whose career demonstrates outstanding contributions to the advancement of the irrigation industry.
Craig Borland
Borland has dedicated 28 years to the irrigation industry as an employee of The Toro Company. He provides irrigation technical support in the areas of product engineering, legal, marketing and landscape drip. His experience, knowledge and feedback has helped develop or improve products critical to the industry’s growth, and he spends countless hours in the field troubleshooting, improving and making recommendations that shape product enhancements and provide insight to real-world conditions.
Borland has served as a volunteer instructor for the Irrigation Association for the past 22 years and is a member of the IA Education Committee. His efforts to share practical, real-world knowledge and best practices to advance the IA’s education goals around water management and irrigation proficiency have significantly impacted the industry. He is widely viewed as one of the top experts on irrigation and leads efforts to promote excellence in experience and education.
“My dad taught me from a very early age to wake up, show up and put in as much effort as you possibly can each and every day. He was right,” Borland said. “Thank you to Toro for supporting my ambition to teach with the Irrigation Association and improve efficiency in our industry.”
Excellence in Education AwardEach year, the IA recognizes an outstanding educator who teaches irrigation, water management or water conservation at a two- or four-year institution with the Excellence in Education Award. These recipients demonstrate a commitment to not only elevate the level of education but also promote the field of irrigation as a viable and sustainable career to students.
In 2023, the IA has chosen two recipients for the Excellence in Education Award: Aavudai Anandhi and Robert Dobson.
Aavudai Anandhi, PhD, PE, is an associate professor specializing in irrigation and water management at Florida A&M University and has made numerous contributions to the development of irrigation-related coursework and certificate programs. When she joined Florida A&M, a historically Black university, she began transforming the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups, developing an irrigation and water management training program from the ground up with limited resources. Among the 101 historically Black colleges and universities in the United States, this program is one of only two biological and agricultural engineering programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
Aavudai Anandhi
Anandhi is currently the only certified professional engineer in Florida A&M University’s Biological Systems Engineering program, and she has encouraged her students to pursue similar professional paths to create additional career opportunities in water resources and environmental engineering. She contributes to a train-the-trainer program for minority farmers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, where she and her colleagues are adapting nontraditional materials and conducting workshops on topics relating to irrigation and water management.
“I am grateful and appreciate the overwhelming support from my students, colleagues, administrators and the IA for encouraging me to use nontraditional teaching techniques to express my passion for natural resource conservation,” said Anandhi.
Robert Dobson, CIC, CID, CLIA, has been teaching irrigation for the Rutgers University Professional Golf Turf Management School and the Office of Continuing Professional Education for 20 years. During this time, he has taught approximately 1,600 students in the two-year program alone. Dobson has worked developing irrigation courses, teaching and guiding students, and co-authoring books, including the IA’s Irrigation, Sixth Edition. With over 50 years of personal experience in the industry as the president of Middletown Sprinkler Company, Dobson shares his unique wealth of knowledge in best water management practices and real-world challenges and solutions with his students.
Robert Dobson
Dobson is a past member of the Irrigation Association Board of Directors and served as president of the association in 2013. He also served as the chair of the IA Certification Board. He is not only a tremendous educator, but he is a well-respected professional in the industry and a dedicated mentor to students who hold him in the highest regard.
“In high school and college, my career aspiration was to be a teacher,” said Dobson. “I have had a 50-plus year career as an irrigation contractor. Some 20 years ago, I was asked to consider teaching irrigation subjects at Rutgers. I am so grateful for that opportunity. It’s amazing how some things in life go full circle. Irrigation is such a crucial element in golf course and landscape management.”
The IA congratulates these award recipients and looks forward to honouring them in person at the 2023 Irrigation Show. Nominations for the 2024 IA awards open in early 2024. Go to irrigation.org/awards for more information about these awards, to view past winners and for announcements about the 2024 awards process. ●
