Issuu

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

Notes regarding version 1.2 of The Fertigation Bible (released 18 May 2018) Version 1.2 is a slight modification of version 1.1 (see below). The technology description (TD) of Copper/Silver ionisation, that was previously in versions 1.0 and 1.1 has been removed from Chapter 6 Optimising water quality – Disinfection. There are, some legal considerations regarding the use of this technology within the EU, which may also be the case in other countries. This technology should no longer be considered as being an option for disinfection of water used for fertigation until it is being revised. The removal of this TD has resulted in changes in the numbering of the TDs in chapter 6, and in the page numbers of the Fertigation Bible after page 6-30 where this TD was previously located. This technology was as also removed from the summary table at page 6-8. In section 6.4.6 of the TD on chlorination and section 6.7.6 of the TD of Electrochemically Activated water (ECA), references to Copper/Silver ionisation have been removed. Otherwise, the contents of The Fertigation Bible are the same as version 1.1.

Notes regarding version 1.1 of The Fertigation Bible (released 20 April 2018) Version 1.1 is a slight modification of the original version of The Fertigation Bible that was made available on 16 March 2018. The following changes have been made in version 1.1:   

Some additional names have been added to the list of author’s and coordinator’s affiliations Changes have been made to the names given as authors of the technology descriptions 3.8, 7.4, 7.5, 7.8, 8.6, 10.6, 10.14, 10.16, 10.23, 10.24, 10.25, and 10.28 The ISBN number 978-1-5272-2327-1 has been added to the document

The contents (text, figures, tables) of The Fertigation Bible version 1.1 are exactly the same as in the original version of The Fertigation Bible.

This document includes a cover page with the FERTINNOWA disclaimer. Full terms and conditions for using this document can be found at http://www.fertinnowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FERTINNOWA-websiteterms-and-conditions.pdf iii

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

List of the affiliations of authors of Technology Descriptions and of coordinators of chapters Reference No

Authors

Institution

Georgina Key

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)

Claire Goillon

Association Provençale De Recherche et d’Experimentation Legumiere (APREL)

Katarina Kresnik

Kmetijsko Gozdarska Zbornica Slovenije Kmetijsko Gozdarski Zavod Maribor (CAFS)

Alain Guillou

Station Expérimentale Du Caté (CATE)

Esther Lechevallier 5

Carlos Campillo Javier Carrasco

Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX)

Valme González Sandra Millán Henar Prieto 6

Justyna Fila

Centrum Doradztwa Rolniczego W Brwinowie (CDR)

Federico Tinivella

Centro di Sperimentazione ed Assistenza Agricola (CERSAA)

Dolors Roca

Generalitat Valenciana – Direcció General de Desenvolupament Rural i Política Agrària Comuna (DGDRPAC)

María Dolores Fernández

Fundación Cajamar (FC)

Juan José Magán 10

Jennifer Bilbao Alejandra Campos

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung Ev (FRAU)

Iosif Mariakakis 11

Rafael Baeza Milagros Fernández

Miguel Giménez

Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA)

Evangelina Medrano Mercedes Romero

Elisa Suárez-Rey

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

Krzysztof Klamkowski

Research Institute of Horticulture (INHORT)

Bozena Matysiak Jadwiga Treder Waldemar Treder

Alberto Alfaro Juan del Castillo

Luis Bonet Rafael Granell

Instituto Navarro de Tecnologias e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias SA (INTIA)

Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA)

JosĂŠ Miguel de Paz Ana QuiĂąones

Mike Davies

NIAB EMR

Eleftheria Stavridou 16

Ockie Van Niekerk

Optima Agrik PTY LTD (OA)

Elise Vandewoestijne

Provinciaal Proefcentrum voor de Groenteteelt (PCG)

Peter Melis

Proefcentrum Hoogstraten (PCH)

Ilse Delcour

Proefcentrum voor Sierteelt (PCS)

Joachim Audenaert 20

Nico Enthoven

PRIVA BV

Marinus Michielsen Julia Model 21

Els Berckmoes

Proefstation Voor De Groenteteelt (PSKW)

Wilfred Appelman

Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO)

Jan Willem Assink Willy Vantongeren 23

Marisa Gallardo

Universidad de Almeria (UAL)

Francisco Padilla Rodney Thompson 24

Matthijs Blind

Stichting Proeftuin Zwaagdijk (ZW)

Ronald Hand *Acknowledgement: We would like to thank Benjamin Gard from the Centre technique interprofessionnel des fruits et legumes (CTIFL), France for his valuable contribution to the Fertigation Bible This document includes a cover page with the FERTINNOWA disclaimer. Full terms and conditions for using this document can be found at http://www.fertinnowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FERTINNOWA-websiteterms-and-conditions.pdf v

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

About the Fertigation Bible The Fertigation Bible has been prepared to provide useful practical information to the horticultural sector of the diverse technologies available for all aspects of fertigation within the EU. The technologies have been organised into the following chapters: Chapter 1. General Introduction Chapter 2. Providing water Chapter 3. Optimising water quality - chemical composition Chapter 4. Optimising water quality - particle removal Chapter 5. Optimising water quality - control of algae Chapter 6. Optimising water quality - disinfection Chapter 7. Fertigation equipment - irrigation Chapter 8. Fertigation equipment - nutrient addition Chapter 9. Fertigation equipment - soilless systems Chapter 10. Fertigation management - irrigation Chapter 11. Fertigation management - nutrients and salinity Chapter 12. Reducing environmental impact- nutrient removal and recovery Each of chapters 2-12 consists of a series of technical descriptions (TDs) of individual technologies. Each technology is described in terms of:           

Purpose/aim of the technology Regions, crops and cropping systems where it is used Working principle of operation Operational conditions Cost data Benefits for the grower – advantages and disadvantages Technological, socio-economic and regulatory bottlenecks and limitations Techniques resulting from this technology Supporting systems required Development, i.e. if it is in a research or development stage, or has been commercialised Who provides the technology

A list of abbreviations used through the Fertigation Bible can be found at the end of the document. A total of 125 such technology descriptions are provided. The Fertigation Bible has an ISBN number 978-1-5272-2327-1 . Considerable effort was made to ensure that the Fertigation Bible is as comprehensive as possible. Various members of the FERTINNOWA project, from 23 organisations from 9 countries, have worked on this document to describe the most commonlyused and promising technologies that are commercially available or are expected to be so in the near future. This document includes a cover page with the FERTINNOWA disclaimer. Full terms and conditions for using this document can be found at http://www.fertinnowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FERTINNOWA-websiteterms-and-conditions.pdf vi

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

If you wish to cite the Fertigation Bible and its contents, please consider the following suggestions: 1) For the FB as a whole, treat the FB as a book: Thompson, R.B, Delcour, I., Berkmoes, E., Stavridou (Editors) (2018). The Fertigation Bible. ISBN: 978-1-5272-2327-1. http://www.fertinnowa.com/the-fertigation-bible/ 2) For individual technical descriptions: Berkmoes, E., Lechavallier, E. (2018). Lined (rain) water storage. In: R.B. Thompson, I. Delcour, E. Berkmoes, E. Stavridou (Eds). The Fertigation Bible. pp. 2-12â€“2-21. ISBN: 978-1-5272-2327-1. http://www.fertinnowa.com/the-fertigation-bible/ 3) The details of the citation would follow the procedures of the formatting style of the document being prepared Our special thanks goes to Joachim Audenaert (PCS) for his very effective work to organise, initiate and encourage the writing of the technical descriptions that form the basis of Fertigation Bible. While much effort was made to include all relevant technologies, it is possible that some relevant technologies have not been included. Also, given the size of the European Union, the information on prices is to inform of the likely price range. Similarly, with suppliers, the information is usually limited to one to several different regions of the contributing author/s. We have tried to make the description of each technology as complete as possible, but in the context of the EU, we accept that there will be some gaps. We hope that you find this document useful. The Fertigation Bible Team

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fertigation is the practice of applying fertiliser to a crop via the irrigation system. In the context of horticulture (fruit, vegetable and ornamental production), fertigation is most commonly used with drip irrigation. The large, rapid and ongoing increase in the adoption of drip irrigation in horticulture has facilitated a similar on-going increase in the use of fertigation. This document, “The Fertigation Bible”, has been prepared by the FERTINNOWA project (www.fertinnowa.com) whose main objective is to provide useful information to the horticultural sector of the diverse technologies available for all aspects of fertigation. In addition to this document, the FERTINNOWA project is developing information in various user-friendly formats (factsheets, practice abstracts, all available at www.fertinnowa.com) related to all aspects of fertigation. The combined use of fertigation with pressurised irrigation systems, such as drip or advanced sprinklers, provides numerous potential practical advantages to the grower. Amongst the most important advantages, of combined fertigation and pressurised irrigation, are the reduction and often elimination of mechanical fertiliser application with the associated labour savings, reduced total irrigation volumes, automation of both irrigation and nutrient application, and the potential for a much more precise control over irrigation and nutrient application throughout a crop. Currently, and increasingly in the future, horticulture in the European Union (EU) will be conducted in the context of reduced water supply and the implementation of regulations to reduce environmental impacts. In addition to the practical and economic advantages of fertigation, increasing environmental, political and consumer pressure to reduce water use and the loss of nutrients to natural water bodies will make fertigation increasingly attractive to growers. An optimally effective fertigation system in the context of modern farming is more than the addition of nutrients to the water, it involves optimising various steps in an on-farm water cycle in which water enters the farm from natural sources, passes through the crop production process and is returned to the natural environment. In this context, fertigation can be considered to involve a sequence of processes that form the “fertigation sequence”. For this document, the fertigation sequence has been considered to consist of the following broad sections and sub-sections: • • • • •

Providing water Optimising water quality (sub-sections: chemical composition, particle removal, control of algae, disinfection) Fertigation equipment (sub-sections: irrigation, nutrient addition, soilless systems) Fertigation management (sub-sections: irrigation, nutrients and salinity) Reducing environmental impact - nutrient removal and recovery

In addition, describing many of the techniques and technologies available to optimise the various parts of the fertigation sequence, this document identifies the practical technical and management issues associated with optimising the use of these technologies. Each of This document includes a cover page with the FERTINNOWA disclaimer. Full terms and conditions for using this document can be found at http://www.fertinnowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FERTINNOWA-websiteterms-and-conditions.pdf viii

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

the 125 techniques and technologies presented in this document is described in the

following terms: • • • • • • • • • • •

Purpose/aim of the technology Working Principle of operation Operational conditions Costs Technological bottlenecks Benefit for the grower Supporting systems needed Development phase (Is it commercialised, in development etc.?) Who provides the technology Regulatory bottlenecks Socio-economic bottlenecks

The following paragraphs provide an overview of many of the techniques and technologies presented in each of the broad sections of the fertigation sequence referred to previously. For the provision of water for fertigation, the available technologies for enhancing the supply of water include those that minimise losses by drainage from storage basins (lining storage basins) or by evaporation (covers, underground storage) and tools for calculating the dimensions of water storage facilities. The collection of rainwater and of condensed water from greenhouses increases the volume of available water. In water storage facilities, floating pumps have advantages. Ensuring adequate water quality is fundamental for ensuring optimal crop irrigation and water management, and for the effective and on-going operation of the main fertigation unit. Four classes of technologies can be considered: 1) altering chemical composition, 2) particle removal, 3) control of algae, and 4) disinfection; the latter is mostly for fertigation systems with recirculation of drainage water. The tools and techniques for modifying chemical composition include various physical methods for removal of unwanted chemical components such as reverse and forward osmosis, ion exchange, electrodialysis, and nanofiltration amongst others, and also chemical methods such as pH adjustment. The tools and techniques for particle removal include a variety of filtration methods. For the control of algae in storage basins, a range of various diverse techniques is available. Amongst others, these include control with different chemicals, the use of aquatic plants or fish, the use of blue dye, the use of introduced water fleas, and the use of ultrasound technologies. A similarly wide range of diverse techniques is available for the disinfection of incoming water or of recirculating nutrient solutions where recirculation is practised. These include chemical addition (e.g. peroxide, chlorination), filtration systems (sand, biofiltration), physical processes (thermal disinfection and ultraviolet disinfection) and physio-chemical processes (photocatalytic oxidation, ozonisation, ionisation procedures). Fertigation equipment can be considered as being equipment used for irrigation, and for nutrient addition. In this document, soilless cropping systems are also considered as being fertigation equipment. Irrigation equipment includes pipes for drip systems, drip emitters, subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), and innovative pipes and drippers with anti-microbial and anti-roots functionalities. There are numerous systems for nutrient addition such as simple This document includes a cover page with the FERTINNOWA disclaimer. Full terms and conditions for using this document can be found at http://www.fertinnowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FERTINNOWA-websiteterms-and-conditions.pdf ix

Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops

fertiliser tanks, injection pumps, equipment with magnetic-drive pumps, mixing tanks, and manual and automatic venturi systems. Numerous substrates are available for use as the growing medium, the principal ones being rock wool, perlite and coconut fibre (coir). Closed and semi-closed substrate systems with complete and partial recirculation, respectively, are management options that have appreciable technical component. In addition to conventional substrate growing systems, a variety of hydroponic systems, with recirculation, are available, including Ebb and Flow, Nutrient Film Technique and Deep Flow Technique. Fertigation management, at crop level, involves both irrigation and fertiliser management. A wide variety of diverse techniques and technologies are available to optimise irrigation management. For irrigation management, these methods can be broadly considered as being irrigation strategies, calculations of crop water requirements based on estimated crop water use, sensors to assess soil water status, sensors to assess crop/plant water status, and the use of decision support systems (DSS) to assist with calculation of crop water requirements. Additionally, there are some techniques that are specific to substrate-grown crops. For nutrient management, techniques and technologies presented include fertiliser recommendation schemes, analysis of soil-water extracts or of the soil solution, analysis of leaf tissue or plant sap, various optical sensors to assess crop nitrogen status, and models and decision support systems (DSSs) that assist with the calculation of crop nutrient requirements. Additionally, nutrient management involves the choice of fertilisers such as slow release and organic fertilisers. Nutrient and irrigation management of fertigated crops also involves salinity management - available tools include established agronomic approaches, and also newer sensor approaches. For nutrient management of substrategrown crops, there are procedures to measure the nutrient content and salinity of the drainage and root zone solutions. Various “end-of-pipe” solutions are available for nutrient removal and recovery from water draining from crops. The nutrient removal and recovery techniques include physio-chemical procedures such as adsorption media for phosphorus, electrochemical phosphorous precipitation, and modified ion exchange, and biological approaches such as nutrient removal in constructed wetlands, moving bed biofilm reactors and the use of duckweed. The preceding section “About the Fertigation Bible” explains the organisation and use of this document.