Knowledge Hub

Blueberries are a very special crop. In Africa, it is successfully produced outside its original growing area, in areas that it may not be fully adapted to. Almost all blueberries are produced in controlled environments, such as greenhouses. If it is produced outside, the irrigation and fertilizer application must be controlled precisely. This is made necessary by the physical and physiological characteristics of the plant.

In 1996 South Africa’s total area under vines was 85 175 ha of which only 23% was drip irrigated. By 2006, 49% of 102 146 ha vines was under drip irrigation. Today, about 67% of the 92 067 ha of wine grapes planted in South Africa are drip irrigated.

The concept of open hydroponics has been a major driver of the adoption of drip irrigation in citrus production. Open hydroponics in the context of tree crops was first introduced by Professor Rafael Martinez Valero of Spain in the 1990’s. His work and related research carried out in South Africa has greatly changed thinking in citrus irrigation and nutrition.

Netafim builds its success on its quality products, the expertise of its employees, and years of accumulated knowledge and experience from designing and applying its products and systems.

Selfs die beste besproeiingstelsel beteken niks sonder korrekte besproeiingskedulering nie.

An excellent irrigation system is nothing without accurate irrigation scheduling.

Whether you are landscaping a commercial area, a residential garden, or a nooky patio - it is important to have a clear plan. You have to know what the landscape will finally look like so that you can work towards that result in stages. Not all plants will grow at the same pace, nor to the same heights and fullness, so selection is a careful process to begin with.

The most astounding discovery with regards to water and plant growth, must be the fact that plants don’t need the massive volume of water we have been pouring over them for decades, centuries. A regular, small amount of water delivered directly to the root zone, is often all it takes.

As both our understanding of the water requirements of plants and our ability to measure aspects such as soil and plant moisture have improved, our understanding of irrigation scheduling has evolved.

“Low-flow drip irrigation has given me full control over every aspect of irrigation and Nutrigation™ in my macadamia orchards.” Sean Doveton buzzes with excitement as he talks about his passion for low-flow drip irrigation and the impact it has had on the Doveton Farm.

When technical dripper data is shared, we are confronted by terms that describe certain engineering features, namely K (A); X (B); KD; K (Turbulence coefficient) and Filtration area. These features determine how well a dripper does its job. Understanding them enables us to compare how different drippers do the same job. In the first in a series of webinars to cover this topic, Jerry Austen, product manager at Netafim South Africa, recently focussed on K (Turbulence coefficient).

The purpose of filtration in an irrigation system, is to protect the emitter, and to an extent, the efficiency of the entire system.