With all farming operations, the key objective is to improve yields and quality. This is achieved through nutrition, water, genetics and climate. Focusing on water, a farmer’s chosen irrigation system can make or break his business.
To get the best from an investment in irrigation, a farmer should ensure that the right system is implemented from the start, and then ensure that a proper maintenance programme is in place to keep this investment functioning optimally.
GET THE NUMBERS RIGHT
Hennie Needham, general manager of Rivulis Irrigation in South Africa, says that there are six key considerations farmers must keep in mind when choosing an irrigation system: the type of crop; the climate; the field shape and slope; the water source and quality; soil type; and energy source, availability and any limitations with power supply. “Once all these factors are clear, it will be easier to determine the irrigation need, and therefore the size and individual components required to irrigate optimally.”
With the crop type in mind, the next step is to look at the climate, and in particular the water required to grow the crop in that specific climate. Needham explains that here, precipitation, evaporation, temperature, and wind need to be taken into account.
“With the knowledge of the specific crop you will grow, you need to determine its water requirement, which is measured by evapotranspiration. This in turn, is determined by solar radiation, temperature, humidity, and wind.”
This story is from the February 09, 2024 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 09, 2024 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Karoo-farm holiday for the family or business traveller
This is the ideal Karoo-farm stopover between the Western Cape and Gauteng,
Toyota 48V: hybrid heavyweights in a changing world
Toyota's global mandate to lower overall emissions via a multi-technology approach sees the venerable Hilux and popular Fortuner packages receive their timely respective doses of hybridisation. By CAR.
Promising new cultivars on show at sorghum demonstration day
Magda du Toit recently attended a sorghum cultivar demonstration day and takes a look at the exciting new products making their way onto the market.
The basics of sheep shearing
Sheep shearing is a specialised skill, but with adequate training, anyone can learn how to effectively and efficiently shear a sheep,
Healthy soils lead to healthy plants and animals
Dr Louis du Pisani shed light on why biodiversity is important, and its impact on soil, plant and animal health at the World Veterinary Association Congress held in Cape Town.
'SA's water crisis could turn into a human catastrophe'
Abysmal management has left South Africa's water and wastewater infrastructure in a severely compromised position, Lambert de Klerk, manager of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum
Uganda gives a helping hand to Zambia with 500 000t maize pledge
Drought-stricken Zambia has reached out for more international assistance as the situation, the worst in 40 years, deteriorates in the African country
Shearing shed handover to wool growers
Shearing sheep made just a little easier for Eastern Cape farmers with donation,
Top agriculture students taken on by department
Twenty of the top achievers from the Cedara and Owen Sitole colleges of agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal officially received letters of appointment and signed two-year contracts under the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Unemployed Agriculture Graduates Youth Programme.
African leaders vow to tackle soil health ills to bolster food production
African Union leaders spoke as one voice at a recent fertiliser and soil health summit, pledging to take measures to improve Africa's soil quality