Companies like Dreamline and WiseconnUn are implementing an innovative irrigation system, which includes the installation of sensors that directly measure plant water stress. This is part of a project created by the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA) of the Ministry of Agriculture.
In this bleak outlook, the optimum water availability for agricultural crops becomes
essential for their production.
Today, the detection of water stress is mainly done indirectly, by using the measurement of the content and water potential in the soil or through estimates of crop evapotranspiration.
"Only some species, have had measurement techniques developed to indicate the water potential in different organs of the plant, but all these techniques are performed sporadically and do not reveal the plant water status in real time, so
their applications are limited," explains the coordinator of the initiative, Cristobal Rivas.
To overcome these limitations, the project is developing a technological innovation that allows to determine the water stress directly in the plant, and continuously throughout the prodcutive period. It seeks not only to optimize irrigation management, but also to increase the efficiency of the water, the productivity and the quality of production, which are key issues for the future of the fruit industry.
Last year, fresh fruit exports totaled USD 4,018 million, registering an increase of 11.6% compared to 2011. These figures place this sector as the most important, within the national agriculture, regarding yields.
Source: FIA