Fertigation for Environmentally Friendly Fertilizers Application: Constraints and Opportunities for Its Application in Developing Countries

Abstract

There is an increasing concern about agriculture's role in polluting the environment which makes farmers feel guilty about using fertilizers. Fertigation is proposed as a panacea to this dilemma, which by this practice reaffirms the principles of 4Rs which are the right source, at the right rate, right time and right place. The aim of this study was to explore constraints and opportunities for its application in developing countries for environmentally friendly fertilizers application. It is a review of literature from government reports, legislature and published material on fertilization and irrigation initiatives of developing countries which include Rwanda, Nepal, Suriname, Zambia, Panama, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and South Sudan in addition to the case presented of China during the "2016 Environmentally Friendly Fertilizer Production, Application and Demonstration from Developing Countries" training course. The study found that in developing countries there is potential to apply fertigation as a way of environmentally friendly fertilizers application as it has been adopted in China. These opportunities include the following: Abundant natural resources like land and water, less polluted environment, conducive agricultural policies, zero duties levied on imported irrigation equipment. 293However, a number of limitations also are highlighted including: Lack of investment, lack of infrastructure, lack of information, requires expertise on plant nutrition and management of fertigation system, require soil analysis and proper interpretation which is done by experts. This study provides relevant information for fertigation planning and application in respective developing countries.

Introducing Eco-Friendly Technologies to Reduce Chemical Fertilizer Usage in Paddy Farming in Sri Lanka

“…These opportunities include abundant natural resources like land and water, less polluted environment, conducive agricultural policies, zero duties levied on imported irrigation equipment. However, a number of limitations also are there such as, lack of investment, lack of infrastructure, lack of information, the requirement of expertise on plant nutrition and management of fertigation system, requirement of soil analysis and proper interpretations by experts (Kabirigi et al, 2017). Non-availability of sufficient organic supplements, bio fertilizers and local market for organic produce and poor access to guidelines, certification and input costs, capital-driven regulation by contracting firms discouraging small farm holders were identified as drawbacks in the case of substituting chemical fertilizer with environmental friendly matters (Pandey and Singh, 2012).…”

Water Harvesting System as an Alternative Appropriate Technology to Supply Irrigation on Red Oval Cherry Tomato Production

“…The use of fertigation is gaining popularity because of it is efficiencies in nutrient management time and labor and potentially a greater control over the crop. Fertigation engineering is the application of supplying irrigation and fertilizer to plants and engineering principles to the solution of water management problem [3], [7]- [9]. The modern concept of irrigation such as fertigation has been made possible only by the application of modern power resources to rainfall harvesting and by storage to the big torrent or storage tank of water reservoirs [3], [10], [11].…”

“…Grade fertilizer is not suitable to use fertilizer system because of the amount of impurities present which may be insoluble and lead to dripper blockages. For this reason, technical grade fertilizers are required in fertigation systems because they have fewer impurities and proportionally higher levels of the desired mineral nutrients [7], [13]. Using fertigation is to manage crop performance need to be based on a good knowledge of when and to what extent each mineral nutrient is taken up by the crop's root and how it affects crop growth development and yield.…”

Water Harvesting as a Technological Innovation and Greater Solving of Climatic Change Impact to Supply Fertigation

“…The potential for reduced fertilizer losses (due to immobilization within or leaching below the root zone) by supplying small amount often. Besides advantages of fertigation where have several disadvantaged these include [15]- [18]: a. Greater capital costs with the equipment needed to dissolve and inject the fertilizer into the irrigation water b.…”