Benefits of Drip Irrigation on Potatoes
Drip irrigation is a mainstream technology in dozens of other crop production systems throughout the world because it allows producers to evenly spoon-feed precious water and nutrients directly to every plant’s root zone despite variable soil conditions, undulating terrain, odd field dimensions or long lengths of run. But potato producers have been slower to adopt drip since there are significant changes in bed configuration, agronomic decisions, and planting and harvesting equipment that go along with this technology.
Despite these challenges, cutting-edge producers, suppliers, and researchers are coming up with viable answers in hopes of bolstering the potato industry against the inevitable vagaries of the market, economy, costs, and resource availability, and are discovering significant benefits in adopting drip irrigation for potato production.
Some benefits of drip irrigation on potatoes include:
- Increased yields
- Increased percentage of U.S. No. 1’s
- Reduced diseases and fungicide usage
- Improved water use efficiency
- Reduced irrigation water runoff
- Spoon-fed water and fertilizers
- Accelerated row closure and harvest
- Reduced fuel usage
- Reduced early vine die-off
- Easily automated systems
Click here to learn more about drip irrigation on potatoes. For Spanish, click here.
I’m planning to grow potato this year by drip irrigation using pressure compensated aquatrax. What the maximum lenght of one T tape line and what was the main line OD. Could you please send to me if possible your dripp fertigation program and the drip system skecth.
We’d be happy to help. Would you mind letting us know where you are located? I can have one of our local drip irrigation experts contact you and get you all the information you need.
I’m planning to grow tomatoes this year by drip irrigation using pressure compensated aquatrax. What the maximum lenght of one T tape line and what was the main line OD. Could you please send to me if possible your dripp fertigation program and the drip system skecth.
The maximum length of your laterals (as well as the size of the mainlines and submains) depends on the model of Aqua-Traxx tape that you decide to use. We suggest that you call our customer service department at 1-800-333-8125 so that we may direct you to the Toro dealer in your area. A Toro dealer will be glad to help you with your design questions and provide all the materials that you need for your irrigation system and your fertigation program.