Irrigation and fertilization system for greenhouses main country of buyer

When you hear aboutirrigation and fertilizer system for greenhouses, you immediately imagine standard schemes - drip tapes, fertigation, EU control. But after 11 years of working with clients from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the UAE, I realized that the main mistake is trying to sell a universal solution. For example, in 2022 they installed a smart system in a greenhouse complex near Tashkent - there is hard water, 380 mg/l of carbonates. We had to rebuild the filtration on site, although initially the project seemed typical.

Why ?main country of buyer? dictates system design

In Uzbekistan, for example, you often come across the fact that water is taken from ditches. Fine suspensions clog the emitters over the course of a season. You have to install multi-stage filtration - disk filters + mesh filters. But local agronomists sometimes save on maintenance by cleaning filters once a month instead of a week. The result is partial failure of the drip line. Moreover, the claims are then made to the manufacturer, although the issue is in operation.

The Emirates are a different story - water is expensive there, so not only watering is important, but also drainage recirculation. But local greenhouses are often built without taking into account the accumulation of salts. I saw a site in Al Ain, where after 2 years the drainage water had to be drained - the recirculation system could not cope with salinity. This is about the question of why ready-made solutions do not always work.

By the way, our project is forShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdin Kazakhstan initially included only basic filtration. But after analyzing the water from the well, they added an acid dosing unit - the pH was below 8. Without this, the fertilizers would have precipitated.

How to select equipment for regional characteristics

For Central Asia, where mineral fertilizers in bags are often used, systems with mixing tanks are better suited - it is easier to control the concentration there. But in Europe, where they work with liquid concentrates, direct-flow systems are more often installed. But this is to put it simply.

I remember that in Karakalpakstan they tried to adapt the Israeli system - they did not take into account that local operators were not accustomed to complex interfaces. As a result, the control panel was redesigned into Russian with a minimum number of buttons. A trifle, but it affects the adoption rate.

That's why on the sitelyzhihuinongye.ruWe now always clarify whether interface localization is needed. It would seem nonsense - but for greenhouses in remote areas this is critical.

Mistakes when designing fertilizer systems

The most painful place is the calculation of doses. Many customers think that automation will do everything itself. But if the initial water parameters are set incorrectly, even the best system will run idle. There was a case in the Fergana Valley - the water there had a high boron content, and when a standard complex of fertilizers for tomatoes was added, toxicosis occurred.

Now for new projectsShandong Lingyao Co.,LtdWe make sure to do a full chemical analysis of water before selecting equipment. Yes, this increases the cost of pre-project preparation, but we avoid problems in the future. This is especially important for crops with a long growing cycle, such as cucumbers or roses.

By the way, about roses - in greenhouses near Almaty we encountered the fact that calcium nitrate clogged the injectors. I had to change the application scheme - separate feeding with calcium and other elements. Local agronomists initially resisted, saying that feeding time would increase. But when they saw that the chlorosis on the young leaves had disappeared, they agreed.

Technical nuances that are rarely written about in specifications

I have long noticed that pump specifications often do not indicate how they work with suspended fertilizers. But many farms still use incompletely soluble forms. The result is wear and tear of the impeller over the course of a season. We have to recommend diaphragm pumps, although they are more expensive.

Another point is the material of the pipelines. For Uzbekistan, where there is a lot of salt in the water, regular HDPE ages faster. It is better to use HDPE with UV protection - the sun is active there. But this increases the cost per meter of the system by 12-15%. Not every customer is ready for such expenses, although in the long run it is more profitable.

In the project forShandong Lingyaoin Nukus they just used a combined system - main pipes were made of reinforced HDPE, and the wiring was made of ordinary pipes. Savings without loss of reliability.

Why automation is not a panacea

Many customers ask for “full automation”, but do not take into account the personnel issue. I saw a modern Dutch system in a greenhouse near Shymkent - it worked at 30% of its capabilities, because there was no specialist capable of setting up the software modules. We had to simplify it - we left the automatic control of EC and pH, and the programming of fertilizing was switched to semi-automatic mode.

Now in stockintelligent water and fertilizer integration equipmentWe make sure to provide training for local operators. Not formal, according to instructions, but with real cases - how to change settings when the water becomes cloudy after rains, what to do during power surges.

By the way, about voltage - in some areas of Kazakhstan there are dips of up to 160V. This is fatal for pumps. I had to add stabilizers to the standard package. It’s a small thing, but without it the whole system stops working.

What ultimately influences the success of the project

The main conclusion over the years is that there is no idealirrigation and fertilization systems for greenhouses. Each project is a compromise between budget, local conditions and personnel qualifications. Sometimes it is better to install a simple but reliable system than a complex one that will remain idle.

For example, for small greenhouses in the foothills of the Tien Shan, we often recommend systems with manual dose adjustment - there is stable water quality, and the staff is used to working “by sight”. plants. And this gives better results than trying to implement full automation.

If you look atprojects of Shandong Lingyao LLC, then this approach is precisely visible there - not to impose the most technologically advanced solution, but to select it for specific conditions. Maybe that’s why there are a lot of repeated requests - people see that the system really works, and doesn’t just stand there as a “toy for reporting?”

In general, the buyer's main country is not just a line in the contract. This is a combination of water, climate, qualifications and even mentality. And if you don’t take this into account, even if you use the Dutch system, there will be no result.