Drip irrigation for cabbage: the Alcides Catroga case
In Portugal's Ribatejo region, Alcides Catroga, Lda. grows around 60 hectares of cabbage for the fresh market. On light soils, Turbo Excel drip tape, which Magos has supported on this farm for several years, delivers uniform irrigation along long laterals.
The winter season is under way, and cabbage is in the spotlight. Alcides Catroga, with more than 40 years in farming, runs Alcides Catroga, Lda., headquartered in Alpiarça. The company farms around 600 hectares in the Ribatejo, with potatoes, carrots, onions and vegetables, and is one of Portugal's largest potato and carrot producers, supplying the domestic market and exporting.
In cabbage, it grows around 60 hectares for the fresh market, in several varieties: savoy, pointed, white cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
The solution depends on the soil
Every grower is different, and the choice of irrigation depends on factors such as the crop, the soil type and the water quality. On this farm the soils are light, sandy loam, and irrigation has to reach every plant evenly, all along the row.
Turbo Excel: what sets it apart
For several years, Magos has developed and supported a solution on this farm based on Turbo Excel drip tape from Rivulis (NaanDan): 8 mil wall thickness, emitters every 20 cm and a flow rate of 1.2 L/h.
• low coefficient of variation, for uniform irrigation; • emitters designed for optimal performance on long laterals; • helps minimize root intrusion and particle suction.
Turbo Excel is suited to vegetables, flowers and other row crops, especially where low flow rates and closely spaced emitters are needed.
Several years of results
At planting, the tape is laid along each row at the same time as the plants go into the ground. The solution has delivered outstanding results, and continuing to use it, season after season, is the clearest sign of confidence in what it has achieved.
Original post: LinkedIn
