Comments
Farmers using ‘drip fertigation’ under the Tarikere Drip Irrigation Project Phase II in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, have witnessed enhanced productivity and fertiliser use efficiencies, Netafim India said on Thursday.
‘Drip fertigation’ technology uses plastic tubing to drip water and fertiliser at the base of plants in a regulated way. The technology led to significantly enhanced productivity of 90 per cent, fertiliser use efficiency by 30-40 per cent, and considerably decreased crop evapotranspiration by 9-10 per cent, compared to traditional irrigation by furrow or flood, and fertilisation by broadcasting, Netafim said in a statement. The technology also optimises moisture distribution for the crop to absorb nutrients and helps achieve a high yield of almost 50-60 per cent.
The judicious use of fertiliser and less water has helped farmers across 5,100 hectares increase crop yield by 50 per cent, the company says. As of date, the company has installed drip systems in 5,500 hectares under Tarikere Drip Community Irrigation Phase II.
Umesh MC, Senior Manager of Agronomy, Netafim India, said, “Improving irrigation and fertilisation management for greater productivity is critical to address water scarcity. Drip fertigation can synchronise the water and fertiliser supply with crop demand, thus offering the potential to increase productivity sustainably. The technology meets the nutrient demand of crops near the root zone and helps farmers save 15-25 per cent on fertilisers as well as crop production costs. As compared to surface irrigation, drip fertigation greatly contributes to agricultural emissions, improves crop root growth, nutrient uptake, and controls soil salinisation.”
The ongoing project, once completed, will cover 13,594 hectares and nearly 26,000 farmers in about 42 villages . Farmers associated with the project are mainly growing vegetables, fruits, flowers and arecanut. The project is likely to be completed by July 2023, Netafim said.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.