Air irrigation system

When you hear “air irrigation system,” the first thing that comes to mind is ordinary humidifiers for offices. But on an industrial scale, this is a complex engineering complex, where an error in calculating the diameter of pipes by 2 mm can lead to excessive water consumption by 30%.

Why classic solutions don't work in greenhouses

In 2022, we tested a system based on BETE MaxiPass injectors - it would seem to be a proven option. But under conditions of sharp temperature changes from +35°C during the day to +18°C at night, condensation formed real puddles on the tomatoes. We had to redesign the entire air supply circuit.

A key mistake many contractors make is ignoring the dew point. When average humidity values ​​are included in the project, the plants get stressed. It is especially critical for cucumbers in the flowering phase - drops on the inflorescences provoke rotting.

Now we at Shandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology LLC use hybrid solutions: a combination of adiabatic cooling with precise humidity control throughair irrigation system. This reduces energy costs by 40% compared with traditional methods.

How to choose equipment without overpayments

For a standard greenhouse of 500 m2, 12 nozzles with a flow rate of 2 l/hour are sufficient, but only if the ceiling height exceeds 4 meters. In low structures, a 'wet floor' effect occurs - we stepped on this rake when implementing a project in the Krasnodar Territory.

There is a preliminary calculation calculator on the website https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru, but I always recommend a live test. For example, crops with pubescent leaves (like some varieties of basil) require a special spray mode - a drop of no more than 50 microns.

They often skimp on filters and after a month the injectors fail. We use step filtration: 100 micron mesh filter + 20 micron disk filter. Yes, this increases the cost of the system by 15%, but prevents downtime during peak growing seasons.

Real cases: from failure to success

The most difficult project was in 2023 in the Rostov region - the customer required maintaining 85% humidity to grow truffles. Standard aluminum ducts began to corrode after just two weeks. I had to urgently change it to stainless steel with a polymer coating.

But in the Stavropol region we achieved a stable 78% humidity for champignons usingair irrigation systemwith recirculation function. Water savings amounted to 60% due to condensate collection and multi-stage cleaning.

We are currently testing a new development - a system with Leaf Wetness Sensors. It determines the moment when artificial irrigation needs to be stopped due to natural dew. The first results are encouraging: late blight was avoided on tomatoes of the 'Bull's Heart' brand by reducing irrigation cycles by 25%.

Integration with other agricultural systems

The main challenge is synchronization with the drip irrigation system. If you do not maintain a pause between watering and air irrigation, the root system begins to rot. We have developed an algorithm adjusted for substrate temperature - data from temperature sensors adjusts the intervals automatically.

The smart agricultural parks that our company designs use a single management platform. This allowsair irrigation systemwork in conjunction with ventilation and additional lighting - for example, increase humidity when turning on sodium lamps to compensate for drying out the air.

An interesting side effect was discovered in a project for a greenhouse complex in the Belgorod region: a properly configured system reduced the incidence of spider mites by 70%. The pest does not tolerate local areas of high humidity combined with turbulent air flows.

Prospects and limitations of technology

Now we are experimenting with ultrasonic emitters for particularly capricious crops - for example, for young orchid seedlings. But so far the technology is too energy-intensive for industrial use. Perhaps in 2-3 years more effective solutions will appear.

The main limitation is water quality. Even after reverse osmosis, salts remain, which clog the capillaries over time. In new models we use self-cleaning filters with a backwash timer - a solution borrowed from swimming pool systems.

In my opinion, the future lies in hybrid systems, whereair irrigation systemwill work on the 'just in time' principle - with microclimate prediction based on AI data. But for now this is an expensive pleasure for most households.