Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Drip on maize: measure and manage for more
Experts from the Netafim US team describe the positive impact of using a well-managed drip irrigation system on your farm.
In Southern Africa, irrigating maize and its rotation crops with drip irrigation is not common practice. However, it’s easy to get excited about the potential impact that drip irrigation could have on the local grain industry.
According to Jim Hunt, marget segment leader for maize, soya bean and hemp at Netafim US, drip irrigation can be implemented in many different circumstances and have a massive positive effect on efficiency and yield.
“The easy wins are often on fields with lower-quality soil and where water of decent quality is easily available,” he says.
“If you farm under these conditions, you should consider using drip irrigation. The potential impact is, however, in no way limited to these farms.”
Tim Wolf, agronomist at Netafim US, explains that water availability, soil type and other factors are taken into consideration when determining how drip irrigation can fit into an operation.
“Another important factor in success will be the producer’s commitment to maximising the impact of the system. If you use drip irrigation to its full potential and you are finely tuned into the needs of the plants, efficiency and yield will increase, and return on investment will be rapid,” he says.
The US team is often approached by producers who have hit a yield barrier. These producers need to get more from their land and resources, can’t expand on their land investment, and have done all they can to maximise output.
“Our recommended solution is drip irrigation and the fine management thereof,” adds Wolf.
DRIP AS A DELIVERY SYSTEM
To yield the maximum potential from drip irrigation, one must consider drip not only as an irrigation system, but rather a fertigation system or total delivery system.
The benefits of delivering nutrients through drip irrigation include:
• Well-timed distribution of nutrients throughout the season;
• Precise delivery of nutrients to the root zone;
• Lower occurrence of fertiliser leaching;
• The ability to adapt the fertiliser programme as needed;
• Access to the plants’ root zones; and
• A wider range of nutrients can be delivered through drip when compared with other irrigation systems.
“Many studies prove the impact of well-timed and structured nutrient application. Understanding when the crop needs particular nutrients and delivering them at the right time is key,” says Wolf.
Hunt explains that the exact management approach will differ from farm to farm, and even from field to field.
SUPPORT AND TRAINING PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
“Any approach will, however, boil down to keeping the soil profile as full as possible at the beginning of and throughout the season, as well as delivering the necessary nutrients throughout the season just before the plants need them.”
BETTER MANAGEMENT
The Netafim field support model creates the opportunity to help producers become even better at what they do and pay better attention to what their plants need.
“These farmers are making a significant investment in our systems and they deserve our support in making them work,” says Hunt.
“The better drip is managed and the greater the effort towards measuring, the greater the effect of the drip irrigation system will be.
“We believe the effort and cost of these activities are massively outweighed by the beneficial impact of the information gained.”
Visit netafim.co.za.