The agriculture farm Salvatore Micciché produces and markets strawberries from September to June each year. The entire production is managed by a logistical platform called CEDIOF Ltd, a sicilian cooperative specialized in wholesale of fresh vegetables and fruits, especially for the large scale retail trade.
This farm charged the Hydro Tech Ltd with the dimensioning and the implementation of its new fertigation system. Covering up to 8.000 square meters, with plastic greenhouses, the farm is organized as follows:
- Water source: Santa Rosalia Dam, an artificial lake for irrigation purpose, supplying water to many farms in the Ragusa District;
- Water is stored into an underground tank, where a suction pump delivers water to the irrigation system;
- Strawberries grow on a coco peat substrate, irrigated by a multi-seasonal dripperline, with spacing 15 cm;
- Production surface is divided in six irrigation zones, each having upstream a safety disc filter;
- Irrigation is managed by an irrigation controller Weathermatic, appreciated for its high reliability and wide additional features;
- Each irrigation zone is controlled by the means of a two-way electric valve, connected to the irrigation controller.
The control room gives the total control and overview on both irrigation and fertigation. Here we placed the new turn-key fertigation panel designed by Hydro Tech Ltd, the best cost-effective solution offering excellent performances and steady accurate dosing ever:
- The fertigation panel is equipped with two dosing channels, it needs only a plug in connection;
- Fertigation solution, before being sucked, are mixed in storage tanks and then delivered to plants by the irrigation system;
- Since plant's health and ability to assimilate nutrients is strictly connected to water acidity rate, the panel is equipped also with a metering pump for pH monitoring and adjustment, keeping pH level constantly at 5.5;
- The same principle is used for the normal care and maintenance of pressure compensating driplines, since periodic acid dosing ensures both their efficiency and long-term operation, avoiding ocllusion or inadequate flow rate of drippers.
