How to optimize irrigation with the use of surfactants

Current problems of water quality and lack of water in agriculture

There are several causes that affect water scarcity such as climate change, contamination of water resources, population growth or water stress, among others. So, in today's blog we talk about how to optimize irrigation with the use of surfactants.

Farmers in southern Spain are uncertain about the amount of irrigation water they will have available for each season. Thus, the main problem facing irrigation management is water scarcity . This means that farmers are unable to organize their crop cycle and meet market demand.

Currently, agriculture is subject to the availability of water, both in terms of quality and quantity. Therefore, it is interesting to apply strategies to increase the efficiency and availability of water, highlighting the use of surfactant as an optimal solution to the present problems.

Soils are characterized as hydrophobic and this is a limitation in the development of the crop because water penetration decreases, as well as the supply of nutrients to the root system. This penetration is limited by the surface tension of the water. Therefore, the use of surfactants reduces or eliminates this tension and water penetrates better to the surface.

Use of surfactants in agriculture

Surfactants are known as adjuvants that reduce the strength of the surface tension of water by decreasing the energy of the bonds between water molecules, thereby increasing root system and nutrient uptake.

In agriculture, the application of surfactants has been gaining relevance due to their coadjuvant properties. Their main function is to increase the contact surface between the solid-liquid phases through wetting.

In general, we can divide between surfactants for foliar application (they modify the relationship between leaf surfaces and spray droplets) and surfactants for irrigation application (they improve soil penetration).

All of them will improve dispersion, emulsification, spreading, adhesion and wetting by modifying the behavior of liquids on the surface.

Surfactants have several advantages, the most important being:

Valid for all irrigation systems.
Increases root surface area.
Increases the wetted surface with the same amount of water initially applied.
Maximizes nutrient availability and assimilation.
Decreases the use and doses of phytosanitary products.
Compatible and stable when mixed with other products.
Improves soil oxygenation, favoring the development of microorganisms.
Reduction of waterlogging and root asphyxia.
Helps water efficiency and consumption by reducing losses due to percolation, runoff, etc.

In general, it favors cultivation and increases production.

There are different surfactant raw materials and none of them can be considered as ideal, for each moment of the crop it will be necessary to apply one according to the climatic conditions at that moment and also to what is to be controlled.

Surf-Max, surfactant technology for lateral water movement

agran.com/huma-gro/surf-max/

It has surfactant technology based on the properties of lateral water movement, which is very interesting when we seek to optimize fertigation and better use of nutrients. to optimize fertigation and the best use of nutrients.
This lateral mobility also offers advantages when working with low quality water, either because of its sodium or chlorine content. With such lateral movement, a greater displacement of salts out of the wet bulb is achieved, reducing the salt load near the main roots.
It offers competitive advantages when applied by foliar application. At low doses, it improves phytosanitary and nutritional treatments by foliar application, reducing drop size and increasing its penetration into the epidermis.

The versatility of the product allows it to be mixed directly in the fertilizer tanks, so that we can dose so that each drop of nutrient irrigation contains a sufficient part of surfactant technology. This option reduces handling operations and eliminates the need for spot applications (e.g., monthly), which lose efficiency and reduce (but do not avoid) the usual problems derived from soils with low water mobility and very hydrophobic soils.

How Surf-Max works

Surf-Max acts directly on the irrigation water improving its transport and movement in the soil . As a result, it is able to cover a larger area both vertically and horizontally, enveloping all the roots. In addition, by eliminating the hydrophobicity of water in the soil, it circulates freely through the wet bulb of the plant, increasing its surface area and allowing a greater assimilation of water with nutrients.

These properties given to water and its movement in the soil can allow savings of up to 20-25% with the same productive result.

It has several benefits:

Eliminates soil compaction, waterlogging and poor water cover.
Improves the drainage characteristics of a soil, increasing the surface area of the wet bulb and covering a greater volume of roots.
Reduces water expenditure to obtain the same water yield for the plant.
Increases nutrient absorption, reducing volatility, leaching and yield loss.
Wetting and dispersing agent suitable for foliar treatments of nutrients and phytosanitary products.

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