Soil irrigation system

When you hear “soil irrigation system,” the first thing that comes to mind is banal pipes with holes. But in reality it is a complex organism, where every valve and sensor affects the result. Many people still confuse uniformity of watering with efficiency, forgetting that the main thing is not to pour water, but to deliver it to the roots at the right time.

Costly Design Mistakes

I remember in 2019, in the Krasnodar Territory, they laid out a field with drip tapes without taking into account the slope. Result? In the lowlands there is a swamp, in the hills there is dry land. We had to rebuild the entire system and add pressure regulators. This is a typical example where savings on design lead to doubling of costs.

Modern solutions, for example, fromShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd, include 3D terrain modeling. But some agronomists still consider this overkill. Although there are cases on the website https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru where this approach reduced water consumption by 30% even in difficult conditions.

The choice of filters is especially critical. I once saw how sand destroyed an expensive Israeli system in a week. Now I always recommend multi-stage cleaning - mesh filters plus hydrocyclones. Yes, it’s more expensive, but pump repairs will cost more.

Automation: where it is really needed

The fashion for full automation sometimes leads to absurdity. We once set up a weather station with a forecast of irrigation for potatoes in the Voronezh region. The system worked perfectly, except for one thing - it did not take into account local thunderstorms. As a result, I watered it an hour before it rained.

Now atintelligent irrigation systemsIt is important to combine data from soil moisture sensors with adjustments from the agronomist. The projects of Shandong Lingyao LLC use a hybrid approach: automation collects data, but the final decision is up to the person. This is especially important for crops with different root depths.

Remote control of valves is a useful thing, but only with a stable Internet connection. In remote farms, it is sometimes easier to use GSM modules with backup communication channels. I remember that in the Rostov region, due to a thunderstorm, a cell phone tower was out of order, and half of the field was left without watering. Now we always install local controllers with autonomous operation.

Water and fertilizers: subtleties of combination

Fertigation is not just about 'adding fertilizer to water'. Water pH, temperature, drug compatibility - each factor affects the result. Somehow we had to redo the system after phosphorus precipitated and clogged the droppers.

In modernirrigation systemslike those designed by Shandong Lingyao Co., Ltd., use injectors with check valves and multi-point pH control. But even this is not a panacea - once a month you need to check the droppers for salinity. Especially when using hard water.

Interesting point: sometimes a simple pressure gauge is more useful than smart sensors. Sudden changes in pressure in the system often indicate blockages or ruptures. In one of the farms in the Stavropol region, thanks to this, damage to the main highway by wild boars was detected in time and the tomato harvest was saved.

Real cases and non-obvious solutions

Last year we worked with a vineyard in Crimea. The soils are rocky, elevation changes up to 15 meters. Standardsoil irrigation systemwas not suitable - I had to combine drip lines with micro-sprinkling for young bushes. Used frequency converters for pumps to maintain pressure at different levels.

A special feature of the project is individual irrigation regimes for different slopes. The southern sites required 40% more water, but for less duration. Without precise control this would lead to erosion. By the way, similar solutions are in the portfolio of https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru - they specialize in complex terrain.

The most difficult thing is to convince the customer not to skimp on drainage. In the same Crimea, due to rainfall, some of the water did not have time to be absorbed - without drainage ditches, they could have lost the root system. We had to additionally install moisture-recharging irrigation in the fall.

Prospects and limitations of technology

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about 'smart agriculture', but in practice even the bestirrigation systemuseless without qualified service. I saw farms where expensive equipment was idle due to the lack of simple filter washing.

Technologies of Shandong Lingyao LLC are good because they provide for modularity. You can start with basic automation and gradually add elements. For example, first - pressure control, then - humidity sensors, then - integration with a weather station. This is especially important for households on a limited budget.

The main challenge now is not technical, but personnel. Young agronomists often get carried away with gadgets, forgetting about agronomic fundamentals. Older personnel, on the contrary, do not trust automation. The ideal system should be intuitive for both groups. Perhaps that is why in the descriptions of projects on lyzhihuinongye.ru the emphasis on personnel training is no less important than equipment.

Conclusions that are not written in textbooks

Over 15 years of work, I realized that there are no universal solutions. Even the bestsoil irrigation systemrequires adaptation to a specific field, culture, and even a team of machine operators. Sometimes it’s easier to simplify the technology but ensure its stable operation.

We are currently collaborating with Shandong Linyao LLC on a project in the Belgorod region - there we combine drip irrigation with soil conductivity sensors. They show good results in saving fertilizers, but two more seasons are needed for final conclusions.

The most important thing is that the system must be repairable in the field. I have seen imported solutions where a certified specialist is needed to replace the sensor. This doesn't work in the Russian outback. Therefore, in modern projects we always leave the possibility for manual duplication and use the most standardized components.