NOVAGRIC Projects
Blueberry cultivation with high-precision irrigation 🫐
This project proposes the establishment of outdoor blueberry cultivation in the Plasencia area, an unusual initiative in Spain aimed at summer harvesting.
The crop is developed on a large-scale farm where the goal is to adapt agronomic management and the irrigation system to the specific requirements of blueberries, a crop that is especially sensitive to water and soil conditions.
Crop plantation in substrate
To facilitate root development and improve agronomic control of the crop, a planting system on peat substrate channels installed under weed-control mesh has been chosen.
This approach makes it possible to improve drainage, better control the root environment, precisely adjust fertigation and to reduce risks associated with unsuitable soils
Technical challenges of blueberries
Blueberry cultivation has much higher agronomic requirements than other woody crops, especially regarding:
- Control of irrigation water pH
- Control of conductivity
- Uniformity of fertigation
- Speed in parameter stabilization
On this farm, one of the main design objectives was to achieve perfect uniformity across the entire area, avoiding excessive fertilizer travel times or nutrient accumulation in the pipes.
Sistema de riego y fertirrigación
The project incorporates an automated irrigation system with an intelligent controller capable of:
- Precisely adjusting pH and conductivity
- Reaching target values within seconds
- Adapting to shorter irrigation times than in other crops
The fertilization strategy is carried out through Fertilizer application, Use of water and fertilizer meters and Dosage adjusted to the actual amount of water consumed
This approach allows ideal growing conditions to be maintained at all times.
Some pictures of our project in Plasencia (Extremadura, Spain)
Project details
Type
Localized irrigation and fertigation in substrate cultivation
Location
Plasencia (Extremadura, Spain)
Cultivation
Outdoor blueberry
Surface
Approximately 70–80 ha
- Localized irrigation system for blueberries
- Peat substrate channels
- Weed-control mesh
- Intelligent irrigation controller
- Automated fertigation system
- Fertilizer meters
- Water meters
- Automatic pH and conductivity control
- Agronomic and hydraulic design of the project
- Implementation of the localized irrigation system
- Design of high-precision fertigation
- Sectorization to improve irrigation uniformity
- Installation of controllers and measurement systems
- Preparation of the farm for substrate planting
- Establishment of outdoor blueberry cultivation in a non-traditional area, developing a pioneering production model.
- Irrigation and fertigation uniformity across the entire farm, key for a crop extremely sensitive to pH and conductivity.
- Rapid stabilization of irrigation parameters, enabling short irrigation times without compromising nutrition.
- Precise control of the acidic pH required by blueberries, ensuring optimal absorption conditions.
- Exact fertilizer dosing by water volume, avoiding pipe accumulation and nutritional imbalances.
- Technical foundation for blueberry production aimed at summer harvesting in a controlled agronomic environment.
Discover how irrigation is designed at a pioneering blueberry farm 🫐
Blueberry cultivation requires very precise irrigation control, especially with regard to parameters such as pH and conductivity.
An automated irrigation system has been designed for this farm that can quickly achieve optimal pH and conductivity levels, ensuring the crop remains in balance.
👉 Check out this real-life case study and find out what factors you should consider before planting blueberries.
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