Potato fertigation using a drip irrigation system

Description

A project conducted in 2015 and 2016 by IRDA’s water management team, Ferme Victorin Drolet, and the DRCN at MAPAQ concluded that drip irrigation in potato fields could save significant amounts of water compared to overhead irrigation. This is of interest from an environmental point of view, especially for farms with limited water reserves.

The aim of the subsequent project was to leverage the efficiency of drip irrigation and splitting nitrogen inputs into multiple applications to reduce total nitrogen inputs per unit produced and provide better economic and environmental alternatives to conventional irrigation.

Objective(s)

• Compare conventional fertilization to a program combining drip irrigation with fertigation
• Measure how much split applications (fertigation) can reduce total nitrogen inputs
• Acquire new technical knowledge on using drip irrigation in potato fields
• Make nitrogen use more efficient (quantity per unit produced) and reduce the risk of pollution