|
|
Managing drip irrigation and fertigation for vegetables grown in South Carolina
| Name | Gilbert Miller | | Situation | Drip irrigation and fertigation have been a tremendous benefit to the fruit and vegetable industry in South Carolina. If managed properly, drip irrigation makes extremely conservative use of our precious commodity water. Fertigation, the addition of nutrients through the drip system, provides for precise timing and application of nutrients in each stage of the production cycle of the vegetable plant. A well-managed drip irrigation system is run only long enough to water the root zone and not take water and leach nutrients below the root zone. Unfortunately many growers are not aware of how long they can run their drip irrigation before the water and the nutrients it is carrying travels below the root zone and becomes unavailable for plant use. This unintentional
mismanagement can be costly to the grower and has potential adverse environmental consequences. | | Response | Two Field Days were held at Edisto Research & Education Center (EREC) during 2006 to demonstrate and explain how to best manage drip irrigation
and fertigation. A power point program and printed material have been developed which explain to growers how to determine the length of time they can run their drip irrigation system and how often they need to run the system. The educational material also provides best management practices for fertigation and nutrient management. This information has also been presented to the South Carolina Watermelon Association, the South Carolina Fruit, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Association and at several county grower meetings. | | Impact | Several vegetable growers in Lexington, Barnwell, Bamberg and Hampton counties have automated their drip irrigation systems and are programming their systems to match the water holding capacity of their soils. Likewise they have reduced the amount of pre-plant fertilizer applied and
are using the fertigation capabilities of their drip irrigation to provide
the nutrient needs of their vegetable crops. The increased efficiency offered by fertigation not only saves production costs but it can also reduce the potential for groundwater contamination due to fertilizer leaching from heavy rains. |
Last update7/3/2007
This website is maintained by Jenny Barden.
|
