09 Nov Hermisan optimises the irrigation system and favours water savings at the CED La Palma of Rijk Zwaan in Murcia
Innovation and sustainability at the heart of the Campo de Cartagena
The efficient use of water and plant nutrition are fundamental factors for high-tech agriculture, especially in an area like the Campo de Cartagena, where the proper management of water resources is essential. In this context, Hermisan has carried out a modernisation project for the irrigation and fertigation systems of the Experimentation and Development Centre (CED) La Palma of Rijk Zwaan Ibérica, S.A., located in Cartagena (Murcia).
This undertaking consolidates the collaboration between both companies and it meets the challenges associated with the water quality, the control of the biofilm and the improved efficiency of the use of resources.
The Challenge: All-round water quality and reuse
The CED La Palma has Mid-Tech hydroponic crop facilities that are used to develop and demonstrate production technology that adapts to the Mediterranean climate. Lettuce varieties and innovative concepts are studied in them, such as the Teenleaf™, Salatrio, Salanova® and Crystal™.
To guarantee that these crop systems work properly, the project has been focused on two factors:
- Control of the water quality: Reduce the impurities that exist and minimise the risk of biofilm forming in the irrigation pipes.
- Water sustainability: Adapt the water and fertigation systems so that the water from the experimentation and demonstration drainage systems of greenhouses can be harvested and reused.
The Technological Solution of Hermisan
- Automated sand filter system: optimisation of the filter system to improve the retention of suspended particulate matter, protect the drip irrigation systems and reduce the risk of the hydroponic irrigation systems getting blocked.
- Enlargement of the Nutricompact fertigation system: incorporation of new fertiliser tanks to favour an accurate matrix dosage, adapted to the different stages of crop development and tests.
- Automation and centralised control with the Supra equipment: incorporation of the irrigation system management, the pH and electric conductivity (CE) measurements and the programming of the sectors by means of a Hermisan automated Supra platform, which helps monitor these parameters in real time.
- Reuse of the water from the drainage system in the closed circuit: adaptation of the system to harvest, process and put the water from the greenhouse experimentation and demonstration drainage back into the system, so that the water and the nutrients can be used more efficiently and fewer resources are wasted.
Commitment to the Agriculture of the Future
The improvements made at the CED La Palma de Rijk Zwaan Ibérica show how using new irrigation and fertigation technology can improve water management and make further progress towards obtaining more sustainable and efficient production systems.
With this project, Hermisan upholds its commitment to technological innovation, the efficiency of irrigation systems and the conservation of water resources in southeast Spain.
