Root Demand Irrigation

Root Demand Irrigation

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Root Demand Irrigation® recently accepted one of 50 awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for ground-breaking industry innovation for the development of its subsurface irrigation product. 

 

Darren Siekman, general manager of Root Demand Irrigation: “Root Demand Irrigation is a unique form of subsurface irrigation that interacts with the plants’ roots to release water to meet the crop’s requirements. The RDI tube, a combination of the material science of DuPont and irrigation technology expertise and manufacturing of Valmont® Irrigation, is the key component of the new product. Other “smart” irrigation systems must be monitored and controlled to turn water on and off at a specific time or applied by a carefully planned prescription. The game changer offered by RDI is the way the tube senses the naturally occurring chemicals released by the plants’ roots that in turn releases water at the most beneficial time for the plants. It is like precision chemigation in a PVC pipe based on actual water measurements.The purpose is to economize on the quantity of water used by placing it close to where it is needed in the plant, and at a time that is optimal. An additional benefit is the ability to effectively pair RDI with center pivots to achieve coverage for additional acres while maintaining labor and cost savings. ”

 

 

 

 

Previous ReportGMO and Eating Beef
Next ReportSound Thinking on Beef