Efficiency from automatic irrigation technology in agriculture

08:24, 06/09/2023

Automatic irrigation systems have helped many farmers save water, labor and investment costs, improve crop productivity, and move towards sustainable agricultural production.

Previously, Mr. Truong Van Quan (Ea Tar commune, Cu M'gar district) had to pull a hose to irrigate each durian tree, but now he only needs to turn on a switch to water the entire garden. Mr. Quan's durian garden has had an automatic irrigation system installed for three years. In the past three years, taking care of durian has been somewhat "leisurely" for Mr. Quan, because during the hot season, he takes the initiative in watering and cooling the trees, thereby increasing crop yields.

Automatic irrigation system for durian garden in Ea Tam commune (Krong Nang district).

Mr. Quan shared: “During the important stages of the durian tree such as flowering, fruiting, etc., I proactively water it quickly and easily. In my opinion, installing an automatic irrigation system helps farmers save time, labor and proactively take care of the plants. Now I just need to turn on the circuit breaker and do other work, now I just turn off the circuit breaker.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Dang Phan Quoc Khanh (Ea Tam Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City) has more than 2 hectares of chili peppers using a drip irrigation system. When he first started growing chili peppers, a friend advised him to apply technology to agriculture to reduce costs and increase productivity, so he boldly invested 20 million VND to install an automatic irrigation system, the efficiency of which surprised him. Previously, when he saw the tiny drops of water, Mr. Khanh thought that the plants would not have enough water and was very worried. However, after a period of observation, he found that the amount of water and fertilizer for the plants was just enough, reaching the roots to help the plants absorb well and not wasting water. According to Mr. Khanh, watering and fertilizing the plants now only requires him to do it alone without having to hire more workers. His chili garden has high productivity while the investment cost is reduced, bringing in great profits.

It is known that farmers currently often use two automatic irrigation systems: drip irrigation systems and sprinkler irrigation systems. Drip irrigation systems are applied to farmers growing vegetables, short-term crops such as chili, sweet potatoes, potatoes, eggplants, etc., which can be used for at least three years. Sprinkler irrigation systems are applied to perennial crops such as coffee, durian, oranges, grapefruits, etc., which can be used almost permanently.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tien (Ea Wer commune, Buon Don district) only needs to open the irrigation valve to operate the drip irrigation system in the chili garden.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tien (Ea Wer commune, Buon Don district), a technician installing automatic irrigation systems, when farmers apply this irrigation technology to production, they can reduce labor, water, fertilizer, and pesticides by up to 50%. Meanwhile, productivity can increase by 20 - 30%. Currently, many agricultural farms in the province have applied automatic irrigation technology, meeting the needs of producing a variety of crops on all terrains, with installation costs ranging from 15 - 50 million VND/ha, depending on the type.

When using this water-saving irrigation method, people do not have to spend time digging irrigation ditches, and can adjust the amount of irrigation water according to the needs of each type of plant. In addition, it is possible to mix easily soluble fertilizers such as nitrogen, potassium, or liquid fertilizers... through a mixing tank attached to the main control valve. From there, the fertilizer is mixed into the irrigation water so that the plants absorb it better, with higher productivity and economic efficiency than traditional irrigation methods.

The application of technology in agricultural production is an inevitable trend, in which automatic irrigation is one of the technologies that is easily accessible to farmers. Currently, many units, cooperatives and households in the province have boldly invested in and expanded the automatic irrigation model, contributing to improving the efficiency of agricultural production, especially in the summer when water shortages and droughts occur.

Dinh Hang

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