Fertigation: what is it and what types exist

Fertigation is the application of fertilisers taking advantage of the irrigation system in place. It is designed to work so that the crop’s roots absorb a nutritional solution. Drip irrigation is the system most commonly used with fertigation, where the equipment is installed in the head section of the system. This creates the option of very frequent applications at a very low dose, which allows the supply of fertilisers to be adjusted to what is required by the crops at each moment during their crop cycle.

A wet bulb forms close to each emitter (dripper) and this can keep that part of the soil wet. This is the part with the greatest concentration of roots, so it improves the absorption of nutrients.

Types of fertiliser for fertigation

• Solid – Soluble (Crystalline) Fertilisers: these are of the binary type and contain two nutritional or compound elements of the NPK-type. Herogra Especiales offers the Herocris range which are crystalline NPK and also contain micronutrients.
• Liquid fertilisers:  these are of the binary or compound type, but in liquid-diluted format.

When mixed, the fertilisers create different physical-chemical reactions that can have a negative impact on effective fertigation. The factors affecting the reactions are: quality of water, composition of the fertilisers, acidity (pH), electrical conductivity and temperature.

Advantages of fertigation

• Reduced consumption of water
• Uniformity of application
• Reduced dispersal of weed seeds
• Smaller losses from evapotranspiration
• Ability to use marginal land
• Improvements in production, fruit quality and precocity 
• Doses adapted to needs
• Irrigation of crops sensitive to salt
• Automation
• Good adaptation to sandy soils
• Better absorption of nutrients

Herogra Especiales’ catalogue contains an extensive range of products designed to be applied through fertigation. We can highlight the Herofol Denso range, which is a range of nutritional NPK in gel format, capable of enhancing crop development through the roots (can also be applied to the leaves).

We also have the Herocris range, which is a range of solid soluble crystalline NPKs: chloride-free, with calcium, slow nitrogen release, with magnesium, with micronutrients, etc.