When performing fertigation in a volumetric and discontinuous manner, we fertilise periodically, increasing the frequency with which we provide the plants with the necessary nutrients.
Single-application fertigation is not very suitable given the great loss of nutrients in the subsoil, resulting in financial losses and environmental damage as the subterranean water becomes contaminated.
In discontinuous volumetric fertigation, we use dosing systems such as Venturi injectors or constant flow rate dosing pumps to repeatedly provide the plants in each irrigation block with the nutrients they need.
In this type of fertigation, we perform pre-irrigation without adding fertiliser until the bulb is damp. Then we inject the amount of fertiliser that we have calculated for each section. Next we irrigate the fertiliser until we have added the correct amount of water for that day.
Thanks to their liquid-absorption ability, the plants first absorb the water which has a lower concentration of salt which, although there is less of it, it provides them with sufficient nutrients for them to develop. This is more suitable than applying the fertiliser in a single application, as it boosts the plants’ absorption of the nutrient by applying a less-concentrated product and spreading applications out, which results in there being a reduced loss of fertiliser.
This type of fertigation is much better than single-application fertigation, as it provides the crops with nutrients on a more frequent basis.
Despite this, the fertiliser is still somewhat concentrated and it is applied in a non-uniform manner through the irrigation water, meaning that it is best to fertilise every time we irrigate. This will improve the absorption of nutrients and reduce the loss of fertiliser. In summary, increasing the number of blocks to which we add the fertiliser and reducing its concentration will bring us better results.
