Integrated water and fertilizer management principle

Water-fertilizer integrated technology refers tofertilizationa new agricultural technology that integrates irrigation and fertilization. Water-fertilizer integration utilizes a pressure system (or natural topographic drop) to deliver soluble solid or liquid fertilizers, formulated according to soil nutrient content and crop fertilization requirements and characteristics, along with irrigation water through a controllable pipeline system. The water and fertilizer are mixed, and then delivered through pipes and emitters to create drip irrigation, uniformly, regularly, and quantitatively moistening the area where the crop roots develop and grow. This ensures that the soil around the main roots remains loose and at an appropriate moisture content. At the same time, based on the different fertilization characteristics of different crops, soil conditions, nutrient content, and water and fertilizer requirements at different growth stages, the system is designed to provide water and nutrients at specific times, in specific quantities, and in specific proportions directly to the crops.

This technology is suitable for areas with fixed water sources such as wells, reservoirs, and water storage ponds, with good water quality that meets micro-irrigation requirements, and where micro-irrigation facilities have already been built or can be built. It is mainly applicable to protected agriculture cultivation, orchard cultivation, and the cultivation of field economic crops such as cotton, as well as other economically valuable crops.

The advantages of this technology are that irrigation and fertilization have a rapid effect, and nutrient utilization is improved. It avoids the volatilization loss and slow dissolution that easily occur when fertilizers are applied to dry topsoil, resulting in slow fertilizer effectiveness; it especially avoids the volatilization loss of ammonium and urea nitrogen fertilizers applied to the surface, saving nitrogen fertilizer and benefiting environmental protection. Therefore, water-fertilizer integrated technology significantly improves fertilizer utilization. According toSouth China Agricultural UniversityProfessor Zhang Chenglin's research, irrigation and fertilization systems save 50%~70% of fertilizer compared to conventional fertilization; at the same time, it greatly reduces water pollution caused by excessive fertilization in protected vegetables and orchards. Because water-fertilizer integrated technology uses artificial quantitative control to meet the needs of crops to be "well-fed and well-watered" during key growth stages, it eliminates any nutrient deficiency symptoms, thus achieving good crop yield and quality in production.

Water-fertilizer integration is a comprehensive technology involving many aspects, including farmland irrigation, crop cultivation, and soil tillage. The main technical points to note are the following four aspects:

First, establish adrip irrigation system. In terms of design, the basic conditions such as topography, plots, units, soil texture, crop planting methods, and water source characteristics should be considered to design the buried depth, length, and irrigated area of the pipeline system. Water-fertilizer integrated irrigation methods can include pipeline irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, micro-sprinkler irrigation, pump-pressurized drip irrigation, gravity drip irrigation, seepage irrigation, and small-pipe outflow. Large-scale flood irrigation should be avoided, as this easily leads to nitrogen loss and reduces water use efficiency.

Second, design a fertilization system. In the field, it should be designed for quantitative fertilization, including the location, capacity, outlet, fertilization pipeline, distributor valves, water pump, and fertilizer pump.

Third, select suitable fertilizer types. Liquid or solid fertilizers can be selected, such as ammonia water, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate,monoammonium phosphate、diammonium phosphatepotassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, etc.; for solid fertilizers, powdered or small-block forms are preferred, requiring high water solubility and low impurities. Generally, granular compound fertilizers (including domestic and foreign products) should not be used; if using biogas slurry or humic acid liquid fertilizer, it must be filtered to prevent clogging of the pipeline.

Fourth, irrigation and fertilization operations.

1. Fertilizer dissolution and mixing: When using liquid fertilizers, no stirring or mixing is needed. Generally, solid fertilizers need to be mixed with water to form liquid fertilizer, and separation is necessary to avoid problems such as sedimentation.

2. Fertilizer application control: When applying fertilizer, the dosage must be controlled. The suitable concentration of injected fertilizer solution is approximately 0.1% of the irrigation flow rate. For example, if the irrigation flow rate is 50 m³/mu, the injected fertilizer solution is approximately 50 liters/mu; excessive application may cause crop death and environmental pollution.

3. The irrigation and fertilization procedure is divided into three stages: the first stage uses fertilizer-free water to moisten; the second stage uses fertilizer solution for irrigation; the third stage uses fertilizer-free water to clean the irrigation system.

In short, water-fertilizer integrated technology is an advanced, cost-effective, and practical technology. In agricultural areas with the necessary conditions, as long as the initial investment is addressed and there is technological support, its promotion and application will become an effective measure to increase farmers' income.

Implementation Effects

Saving fertilizer and water, saving labor and effort, reducing humidity, reducing diseases, increasing yield and efficiency

1. Balanced Water and Fertilizer

With traditional watering and fertilization methods, crops go hungry for a few days and then overeat for a few days, unable to "eat and drink" evenly. Using scientific irrigation methods, water and fertilizer can be supplied according to the crop's needs, ensuring that the crops "eat comfortably and drink heartily"!

2. Labor and Time Saving

Traditional furrow irrigation and fertilization are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and very troublesome. Usingdrip irrigationonly requires opening the valve and closing the switch, requiring almost no labor.

3. Water and Fertilizer Saving

Drip irrigation with water-fertilizer integration directly delivers the fertilizer needed by the crops evenly to the roots of the plants, allowing the crops to "sip slowly," greatly improving fertilizer utilization efficiency, reducing fertilizer use by 50%, and water use to only 30%-40% of furrow irrigation.

4. Disease Reduction

Many diseases in greenhouses are soilborne diseases that spread with water. For example,Phytophthora blight of pepper、Fusarium wilt of tomatoFor example, using drip irrigation can directly and effectively control the occurrence of soilborne diseases. Drip irrigation can reduce humidity in the greenhouse and alleviate the occurrence of diseases.

V. Temperature and Humidity Control

In winter, drip irrigation can control watering volume, reduce humidity, and increase soil temperature. Traditional furrow irrigation can cause soil compaction and poor permeability, leaving crop roots in a state of hypoxia and causing root rot. Drip irrigation avoids problems such as crop root rot and yellowing caused by excessive watering.

VI. Increase Yield, Improve Quality, and Enhance Economic Benefits

The engineering investment of drip irrigation (including pipelines, fertilizer pools, power equipment, etc.) is about 1000 yuan/mu, and it can be used for about 5 years. The saved fertilizers and pesticides each year are at least 700 yuan, and the yield increase can reach more than 30%.

Fuzhou Yong Run Irrigation Equipment Co., Ltd. undertakes water and fertilizer integrated projects in Fuzhou, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangxi, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Hubei provinces.