Drip irrigation is a water-saving and efficient irrigation technology that has been rapidly developed in recent years. Drip irrigation is a method of irrigation that slowly sends water to the root zone of a crop by dripping drips.
Advantages of using drip irrigation technology in the orchard
- Water saving and energy saving: Drip irrigation can save 30%-40% of water compared with ground ditch irrigation, thereby saving energy consumption such as pumping oil and electricity.
- Drip irrigation basically does not affect ground temperature: the amount of drip irrigation water is small, and it is not a one-time irrigation for a short time, so the direct impact on ground temperature is small. And drip irrigation is to irrigate water in the underground root zone, and the amount of evaporated water on the ground is small, which reduces the heat consumption of soil evaporation. Therefore, the temperature of drip irrigation orchard is generally higher than that of traditional ground irrigation, so the fruit trees grow faster and mature earlier. This is even more pronounced in protected cultivation.
- The damage to the soil structure is significantly reduced: Drip irrigation uses drip infiltration to supply water to the soil without causing damage to the soil structure.
- Reduced air humidity: As the ground evaporation is greatly reduced, the relative humidity of the air around the canopy of the orchard is reduced by about 10% compared to ground irrigation, which greatly reduces the occurrence and spread of pests and diseases.
- Reduced opportunities for transmission and re-infection of certain diseases transmitted by irrigation, particularly root cancer.
- Water and fertilizer integration technology improves labor production efficiency. Attach a facility fertilizer device to the drip irrigation system and send the fertilizer with the irrigation water to the vicinity of the root zone, which not only saves fertilizer, but also improves fertilizer efficiency and saves fertilizer application labor. Some pesticides used for soil disinfection and application from the root can also be applied to the soil through drip irrigation, which saves labor costs and improves the effect of medication.
- Irrigation saves labor and effort: Drip irrigation is a semi-automatic mechanical irrigation method. When the drip irrigation equipment is installed, as long as the valve is opened and the pressure is adjusted to an appropriate pressure, the irrigation can be performed by itself.
In summary, compared with traditional above-ground irrigation, drip irrigation saves water, labor, labor, and money. It helps to increase the temperature of the orchard and control the air humidity between the rows of fruit trees. It also helps reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases and promotes the yield and quality of fruit trees. The economic benefits are relatively obvious.