Drip irrigation system for banana plants p.1

Drip irrigation system for banana plants p.1

“Automatic watering for banana trees” is an issue that is of most concern when investing in banana cultivation, especially this is also an agricultural product with a large export market in recent years. The automatic irrigation system in agriculture is not new, the equipment supplier is not rare in the market. This article will help professional and amateur farm investors avoid unnecessary losses, know how to choose the right supplier with optimal operating system design, save costs while ensuring the the best growth and development of the plant, giving the highest yield and quality.
So what should be the design of a banana irrigation system?
* Farming plan: How long do you plan to cultivate the banana tree? 1-2 years or longer? Do you identify bananas as the main crop or intercropping? Having a specific farming plan to help you choose irrigation equipment with a short or long life (durability) to avoid having to re-invest and construct many times.

Figure 1: Drip irrigation for banana trees (main crops) and eggplant (intercropped)

* Process of cultivating trees: Each plant has its own farming process and requires different climatic conditions, soil, and care regimes. To have a good product, you need to understand the cultivation process of the plant, the care regime and the planting distance, the water demand of the plant … from which the appropriate irrigation system should be designed. Specifically:
* Each soil type is different, the water holding capacity is also different, so the water demand of the plant will also change.
* The amount of rain, light intensity is also a determinant of water for irrigation. Heavy rainfall, no watering or little watering and vice versa. On sunny days, less clouds, trees need more water than shady days.
* Stage of tree development: At different stages, the need for watering plants is also different. Young banana trees require less water than mature banana trees (of course); and at the flowering stage, the water required of the banana plant is much more than in other stages.
* Watering method for banana trees: In different conditions, watering method for bananas and attached equipment is also different. The watering method for banana plants can be applied as follows: Spill irrigation, Meganet, root spray (PC Spray Stake or Super net), drip irrigation (spread along Cripnet PC pipe in the direction of direction). longitudinal banana row) or drip irrigation in a wrap-around form (using microdrip wire).

Figure 2: Drip irrigation system for bananas using Netafim’s Drip net PC wire
Each of the automatic watering methods for bananas has different advantages and disadvantages. Depending on specific water conditions, product quality requirements, investment level …, choose the appropriate automatic irrigation method for bananas. The banana tree is a tree that loves a lot of water, but the soil must be well drained. In addition, the humidity of the air is too high (due to the high-spray spraying method) is also a suitable environment for the growth of fungi and bacteria on banana plants. The runoff of water under the soil surface not only makes the soil squash, lacks ventilation, but also is a favorable environment for the spread of pest germs from tree to tree, from region to region.
* The amount of water needed to irrigate the banana tree: depending on the growth stage of the banana tree, the external conditions of each planting area (soil, rainfall, light, water evaporation …) that Additional watering for bananas can be replaced, can be from 0 – 20 liters / day / tree, even up to 30 liters / day / tree. The watering time depends on the parameters of the irrigation system assembly as well as the design of the pump operation system.
* Can we design our own banana irrigation systems on our farm? Absolutely if we grasp the above issues. Not only automatic watering of banana trees, but also other plants. One thing to note is that we must understand the technical design of each irrigation device because these devices look simple and quite similar on the outside but the internal structure is different depending on the manufacturer. Accordingly, the quality of equipment and product durability are also different. Technical knowledge of each type of irrigation system equipment helps us to combine them together, allocate the irrigation system for banana plants appropriately to ensure the system operates optimally but streamlined, economically. investment costs.
Every automatic irrigation equipment on the market has different manufacturers and suppliers and of course the quality of products and design consulting and after-sales services are also different. We should choose products with durability corresponding or higher than the production time, easy to convert and reuse for other crops. The simpler way is to choose a reputable distributor who has experience in designing for many large farms. In these companies, in addition to providing good products (confirmed over time and on many different large and small agricultural projects) there is also a seasoned technical consultant team that will help you with the design. reasonable, suitable with the budget and applying in the best way to bring maximum profits for investors.
Wish you find the optimal automatic watering solution for banana plants.
HUONG THAO – AGRICULTURAL GROUP