Adapting irrigation systems to different soil types
| Region(s) | Québec, Canada |
|---|---|
| In domains | Agriculture, Conservation of Source Materials |
| Participants | La Framboisière d’Estrie |
A drip irrigation system for strawberry plants offers several advantages: a better fruit is obtained (since each strawberry receives the exact amount of water needed), diseases are prevented and water is saved.
-analyse the nature of the soil and divide the farm into plots of equal size, according to soil type;
-determine the irrigation system that is most appropriate for each soil type. For example, some of the soil at the Framboisière d’Estrie is sandy and requires frequent but brief watering; other areas of the farm contain soil that is heavier and has a higher clay content, which needs to be irrigated less often but for longer periods to enable the water to penetrate the soil more deeply;
-determine the most appropriate irrigation technique. For strawberries, drip irrigation is preferable to spraying; this prevents the plants from getting wet and thus inhibits disease and rot;
-program the computerised irrigation system after taking all of these factors into account in order to meet the exact needs of the plants according to the soil type in which they are growing.
For more information on organic strawberry production, please read the following document:
financial costs: acquiring a computerized irrigation system.
-production of 43,000 kilograms a year (the provincial average is 2,900 kilograms a year);
-production costs cut in half: harvesting one kilogram of strawberries costs only 59 cents instead of $1.29, the provincial average;
-sales 15 times higher than the Québec average;
-a 40% reduction in the amount of water used.
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