Drip irrigation system for agricultural greenhouses and large fields main buyer country

When you hear “drip irrigation for greenhouses and fields?”, the first thing that comes to mind is standard solutions from catalogs. But in practice, in the CIS countries, especially in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where we most often supply equipment, the requirements for the system turn out to be surprisingly specific. Many people mistakenly believe that price is the main thing, but in reality farmers are willing to pay for adaptation to local water and soils.

Why universal solutions don't work in large projects

In 2022, we supplied a system for a greenhouse complex near Almaty, where we initially planned to use standard drip lines with a wall thickness of 0.6 mm. But after analyzing the water, it turned out that the high salt content requires not just filtration, but multi-stage purification with sand separators and disk filters. We had to revise the entire circuit and add flush valves to each zone.

A feature of large fields is seasonality. In summer, temperatures rise to 45°C and ordinary PVC pipes become deformed. We switched to low-density polyethylene, although this will increase the cost of the project by 15-20%. But clients from Uzbekistan, where water is a scarce resource, understand that saving on materials leads to crop losses.

By the way, about water. In the Fergana Valley there is water with suspended matter up to 200 g/m3. It was necessary to develop hybrid systems with cyclones and strainers in parallel. Not perfect, but it works. Sometimes it is better to combine proven equipment than to chase innovation.

How to integrate smart solutions without extra costs

Our company ?Shandong Lingyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Ltd.? often encounters requests for full automation. But in reality, for 80% of households, basic automation is enough - timers and humidity sensors. For example, in a project for an agricultural holding in the Aktobe region, we used programmable controllers with remote control via GSM. Not the most modern solution, but reliable and maintainable.

An important point is equipment compatibility. Chinese controllers often conflict with European sensors. We had to develop our own communication gateways, which we are now testing in smart agricultural park projects. By the way, details of our developments are available onhttps://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru— it describes exactly how we combine research with practical solutions.

For large fields, it is sometimes more profitable to install local automated nodes instead of a centralized system. One such unit serves 5-7 hectares, and if it breaks down, all watering does not stop. We learned from mistakes: in 2021, due to a failure of the central controller in the Tashkent region, 50 hectares of tomatoes stood idle.

Nuances of designing hydraulic structures

When constructing reservoirs for irrigation systems, many people underestimate geology. In Kazakhstan, there are subsidence soils where standard concrete containers crack within a season. We switched to flexible membrane tanks - more expensive, but more durable. By the way, we are developing this area within the framework of the design of hydraulic structures.

Calculating pressure is a separate headache. On the slopes of the foothills of Kyrgyzstan, elevation differences reach 30 meters. It is necessary to install pressure reducing valves every 5 meters of difference, otherwise the emitters in the lower zone fail. Expensive, but cheaper than replacing drip lines every season.

An interesting case was with filtration for a farm growing saffron. The culture is capricious and requires the purest water. A cascade of mesh, disk and membrane filters was used. The system turned out to be complex, but the manufacturer now exports saffron to the EU.

Equipment that actually works in the field

Over 7 years, dozens of models of drip tapes have been tested. For tomatoes in greenhouses, labyrinth emitters with pressure compensation have proven to work best. And for open ground, especially for grain crops, there are slotted ones. But here it is important to take into account mechanization: if cultivators are used, laying to a depth of 10-15 cm is needed.

Pumping groups are a separate topic. Chinese pumps are cheaper, but for uninterrupted operation in conditions of power surges, we recommend Italian or Turkish ones. Although recently Chinese manufacturers have improved quality. We once installed frequency converters together with pumps - we were pleased with the result, energy savings of up to 40%.

Remote control valves seem like a small thing. But they are the ones that most often fail when installed incorrectly. We now include spare valves in every project and train local repair technicians. It's easier than waiting a month for parts from abroad.

Prospects for the development of irrigation systems in target regions

In Uzbekistan, there is a tendency to switch to drip irrigation for cotton. This is a complex crop with a long growing season, but experiments in Kashkadarya have shown water savings of up to 60%. True, we had to modify the system - add more emitters per meter.

The direction of integration of water and fertilizers is developing interestingly. Our latest projects include fertigation systems with precise dosing. Not to say that everything is perfect - sometimes the pH sensors give an error, but in general the result is better than with separate application.

Looking to the future, I see potential in hybrid systems for high-quality agricultural fields. Not full automation, but a reasonable combination of manual control and smart elements. As practice shows, it is precisely such solutions that are most viable in the CIS.

Practical implementation tips from the Shandong Lingyao team

Always start with a water and soil test. It would seem obvious, but 70% of problems arise due to skipping this stage. On the websitehttps://www.lyzhihuinongye.ruWe have posted a manual for self-sampling - free of charge, just to save time for customers.

Don't skimp on installation. We have seen cases where ideal equipment was installed with violations and a zero result was obtained. Now we include in contracts supervision of installation or at least video instructions with checking of key components.

And lastly: the drip irrigation system does not last forever. Budget for replacement of drip lines after 3-5 years depending on water quality. This is cheaper than suddenly being left without watering at the height of the season. Tested from our own experience in dozens of projects in the CIS.