Introducing Drip Irrigation Innovation to Thailand
Introducing Drip Irrigation Innovation to Thailand
February 1, 2016
The Nation, Thailand — Drip irrigation technology from Israel is seen as a viable solution for drought-hit Thai farmers and could even increase water usage efficiency to almost 100 percent, according to research presented at the recent National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in Thailand.
Dr. Naftali Lazarovitch, a researcher at BGU’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, discussed how the Israeli “fertigation” technique was superior to other methods in its ability to not only grow nearly every kind of plant, but to do so with greater water efficiency and an increase in crop yields.
Dr. Naftali Lazarovitch
Fertigation combines Israel’s well-known drip irrigation technique with the ability to fertilize the plants via the dripping water. This allows the plant to use the fertilizer directly.
“By implementing fertigation, the plant can use 95 percent of the water directly, compared to less than 50 percent of the water in the conventional way of watering,” says Dr. Lazarovitch.
The technique could be the perfect choice for Thai farmers suffering from the drought, as it uses far less water and the technology is not prohibitively expensive or complex.
To better implement the technique, NSTDA President Thaweesak Koanantakool announced that Israeli experts would lead a field workshop on fertigation technology in Lampang to show Thai academics, students and farmers how it works and how it could be adapted for use in Thailand’s farming environment.
Read more on The Nation, Thailand website >>
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