Category: Drip Irrigation News

Drip Chemigation Basics

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Chemigation, in general, can be defined as the application of an agricultural chemical through any irrigation system, using the irrigation water to distribute the chemical. Chemicals include pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, nematicides), fertilizers, plant growth regulators and other materials. Chemigation can be applied only if the product label allows such application, and only according to the label directions and restrictions.

The three basic crop irrigation systems include overhead/sprinkler, drip/trickle, and surface/gravity flow systems. The proper equipment, depending on the irrigation system, is essential for successful (as well as legal) chemigation. Although overhead irrigation and surface flow systems may be suitable for some vegetable crops, drip irrigation is widely used in vegetable production.

Many growers throughout the vegetable-growing regions of the U.S. are already using drip, or trickle, irrigation as a water management tactic. Chemigation via drip irrigation allows growers to apply pest control materials through a distribution system they already have in place (the drip system), thus saving significant time and money over ground-applied chemicals. Over the past 10 to 12 years, many field tests throughout the U.S. have demonstrated that application of insecticides via the drip system results in highly effective control of specific insect pests of vegetable crops using low rates of labeled insecticides.

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Pivot Sprinkler Irrigation Economic Comparison

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Although center pivot sprinkler irrigation (CP) is the predominant irrigation method in the US Great Plains, there is growing interest in the use of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Pressurized irrigation systems, in general, are a costly investment. Producers need to carefully determine their best investment options. In 2002, Kansas State University developed a free Microsoft Excel template to compare the economics of center pivot sprinkler irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation for field corn (maize) production.

This template has been updated annually with new input and revenue costs and assumptions. Important factors that have always affected CP and SDI competitiveness are field size and shape suitable for center pivot sprinkler irrigation and longevity of SDI system allowing longer amortization of its greater initial cost. The primary factors that allow SDI to have greater economic competitiveness than was the case in 2002 are greater corn yields and corn price. Using the base assumptions in the template for a square 160 acre field, an SDI system lasting at least 11 years can be cost competitive with a center pivot sprinkler with a life of 25 years.

Click here to find out how SDI compares economically to CP irrigation and to download the whitepaper, “Comparison of SDI and Center Pivot Sprinkler Economics.” Or,

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WEBINAR: Chemical / Fertigation Design & Optimization with Venturi Injectors

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Angelo MazzeiCelia (Mazzei) CobarOn Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 1:30PM (Pacific Time), the Grange Network will be hosting a 60-minute, FREE webinar to discuss Chemical / Fertigation designs and demonstrate an easy and convenient online Injector Selector tool. Once you understand how to select the right injector, you’ll learn how to apply the benefits of injector driven Chemigation / Fertigation. The webinar will be led by Angelo L. Mazzei, founder of the Mazzei® company and the patented Mazzei® brand high efficiency Venturi injectors, as well as Celia Cobar, VP, Research & Development.

Click here to register for the FREE webinar, “Chemical / Fertigation Deisgn & Optimization with Venturi Injectors”.

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2013

Time: 1:30PM Pacific / 4:30PM Eastern (60 Minute Session)

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Why Midwest Growers Are Converting to Subsurface Drip Irrigation

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In the Midwest, the land where pivot irrigation is king, some growers are converting to subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) to save water, decrease energy and labor costs, and increase crop yield and quality. Though there is an initial investment cost, the water savings and yield improvement reduce the payback period and the benefits of subsurface drip irrigation out-weigh many of the drawbacks of pivots, which include limited reach, costly additions, un-watered acres, and water loss to evaporation – just to name a few.

To learn more about SDI, check out the new “how-to” guide to subsurface drip irrigation. Or, continue reading to find out why Midwest growers are converting to subsurface drip irrigation.

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NRCS Chief Tours California Farms & New Drip Irrigation System

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller toured local farmland in Los Banos, California that is benefiting from a federal partnership between NRCS and the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to protect the Bay-Delta Watershed. Approximately $6 million was invested by the two agencies, from 2011 – 2013, to upgrade irrigation water delivery infrastructure and on-farm irrigation equipment to conserve water for San Luis Canal Company farmers.

“Water is the lifeblood of agriculture and the environment,” said Cannon Michael, a local farmer. “Farmers have a duty to be good stewards of our resources and conservation is a key element of good stewardship. Improved water use efficiency and reduced runoff benefits farmers and the environment. Our partnership with NRCS has yielded very positive results and their programs encourage conservation on a large scale.”

Weller toured Michael’s new drip irrigation system, funded by NRCS, and nearby infrastructure improvements funded by Reclamation.

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Young Texas Farmers See “the Future of Agriculture” in Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

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The tales of young, tech-savvy entrepreneurs launching new ventures out of Silicon Valley are common. But what about three 20-something brothers who live – not in some high tech mecca – but near the small community of Wilderado, Texas, who started a new business venture?

The Gruhlkey brothers – Brittan, 24, Braden, 25, and Cameron, 20 – are farming cotton, corn, sorghum and wheat while showing how technology plays an important role in farming. The average age of Texas farmers is nearly 60 years old, making their enterprise a unique one and they’re doing this amid huge challenges, including an ongoing drought and a growing demand for water.

“Because of the era we’ve grown up in, we’re comfortable with new technology and not wedded to doing things the way they’ve always been done,” said Braden, a third-generation farmer.

These technological advancements allow them to better water and feed their crops. Through subsurface drip irrigation, they can deliver water uniformly across the field and directly to the root of the plant to use water more efficiently. Through this irrigation system, they can schedule when plants are watered and eliminate over-watering.

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Toro Expands Agricultural Irrigation & Acquires Water Savings Equipment Co.

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As we look to the future, water availability and increasing demand for food are driving awareness for the importance of more efficient forms of irrigation. To meet increasing demand, The Toro Company has announced that it has closed its acquisition of the Xiamen Xiangfeng Water Saving Equipment Company (Located in Xiamen City, China), manufacturer of water-efficient drip irrigation products, sprinklers, emitters and filters for agriculture, landscaping and green house production. Toro’s goal? Continuously improve and meet increasing demand by delivering high quality solutions for growers.

With China being a critical growth market for micro irrigation, this acquisition also provides a means to grow the company’s presence in this important market. Toro is expanding their micro irrigation business, as evidenced by this acquisition and the recently completed micro irrigation manufacturing facility in Romania to support the growing Asian Eastern European regions.

Toro entered the agricultural micro irrigation business in 1996 with the acquisition of James Hardie Irrigation, and has since grown its position through the development of industry-leading drip technologies and investments to expand globally.

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Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) System Shines at Husker Harvest Days

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For 36 years, Husker Harvest Days has been the premiere agricultural show for the technology that drives irrigation. This year, a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system has been installed at the show site to irrigate a cornfield and part of the grass parking lot south of the exhibit area.

Show Manager Matt Jungmann said it’s the first time an SDI system has been installed at the site. He said he’s pleased with the results of the SDI, which Western Irrigation of Garden City, Kan., installed in the spring. Jungmann said last year’s drought was hard on the six-acre parking lot, but the SDI has helped restore the grass. He said corn harvested on the ground with the SDI system is averaging more than 200 bushels per acre.

The SDI drip lines are on 60-inch centers and buried 14 inches deep. The system is fed by a 300-gallon-per-minute well powered by a submersible pump and applies water directly to the crop’s root zone using polyethylene tubing.

The new system, along with other innovations in irrigation technology, are helping farmers conserve water while applying management practices that improve crop production. Technology is also playing a bigger role each year in irrigation, such as connecting a control panel wirelessly to a computer or smartphone so the operator can manage the system remotely.

While companies such as Western Irrigation have been installing SDI systems throughout the Great Plains, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been researching SDI systems throughout the state.

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Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

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Click here to download Toro’s official guide to Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI). For Spanish, click here.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation is a specialized sub-set of drip irrigation where dripline or drip tape “lateral lines” (tubes buried beneath the crop rows) and supply and flushing “submains” (pipes supplying water to the lateral lines) are buried beneath the soil surface for multi-year use. The technique of burying less expensive Bi-Wall drip tape laterals beneath field crops was pioneered in the American Southwest decades ago, and has since been implemented by researchers and growers alike. The SDI technique is now being used throughout the world on a wide range of grain forage and fiber crops including alfalfa, corn, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane. In addition to drip tape, thinwall integral driplines are commonly used as well.

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Mint Farmers Save Water & Fertilizer with Drip Irrigation

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The first three Idaho farmers to use a drip irrigation system on mint fields reported mostly favorable results after the second season, but they did face a few problems with the new practice.

As a result, the Idaho Mint Commission is financing a three-year trial at University of Idaho’s Parma research station to further refine the practice.

Nampa farmer Robert McKellip, who last year was the first Idaho farmer to put mint on a drip system, said he used about 2 feet of water per acre on the 56-acre field this year, compared with the typical 5 acre-feet for a field that is furrow irrigated.

He said he also used a lot less fertilizer and yields were great.

“I’m really pleased with it,” said McKellip, president of the Idaho Mint Growers Association.

McKellip said the drip system proved its worth this year on water savings alone. The 2013 growing season in the Treasure Valley was marked by a tight water supply that caused several irrigation districts to shut off water a month early

If all farms in the valley switched to drip, “we’d never, ever have another drought,” he said. “I”m using less water on my mint drip system than I’d use during a drought year.”

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Drip Irrigation Helps New Mexico Farmers Survive the Drought

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Everything that Adán and Pilar Trujillo, two siblings from Chimayó, New Mexico, do on their farm connects with the community. Their lettuce fed students at the local McCurdy Charter School last year. They sell their rhubarb, rainbow chard and red Russian kale at the community market just down the road in Española. And their chile will be roasted and eaten this fall by children in schools nearby.

Though they can trace their family heritage back to the original agrarian settlers in the area almost 300 years ago, Adán Trujillo didn’t decide to get into farming until he graduated college in 2004. With the help of a local co-op and conservation work, these young farmers are making a big impact in the Chimayó area.

However, despite the co-op’s success in supplying food to the local residents, a recent severe and extended drought gripping an already arid state made the Trujillos and other farmers in the co-op look to more efficient ways to irrigate.

“My father started talking to people and heard that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service could help us get started with drip irrigation,” Adán Trujillo said.

The Trujillos and other members of the La Cosecha del Norte Co-op worked with NRCS to help them design, install, and partially pay for a drip irrigation system that helps deliver water efficiently to the roots of the crops and minimize water loss due to evaporation, a common problem with the traditional flood irrigation technique of the region.

“Drip irrigation has been so much more efficient and easier than flood irrigation,” Trujillo said. “It has saved us through the drought and we’re still able to irrigate once a week.”

Alongside drip irrigation, conservation has helped the Trujillos and the co-op members continue in their community mission.

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Learn About Subsurface Drip Irrigation with Toro at Husker Harvest Days

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If you are going to Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska next week (Sept. 10-12, 2013), don’t forget to stop by the Toro booth (#436). Toro will be offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought. What’s more, visitors to the Toro booth can hear first-hand from growers and local dealers about their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska.

So stop by the show and the Toro booth to learn about the benefits of SDI and to get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software.

If you can’t make it to the show, click here to learn more about SDI and how to thrive in a drought.

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