Page 191 - Shaping A Sustainable Future

Eco-Solution 5: Drip Irrigation System with
Automated Timer

A drip irrigation system yields greater water efficiency
than water sprinkler systems. A 65% reduction in water
usage can be achieved with soil moisture sensors while
meeting plant growth requirements. The nursery’s
portions that hold plants for extended periods should
be prioritised when converting to a drip irrigation
system. The system should also be supplemented with
an automated-timer system (see Figure 14) to increase
productivity by delivering the correct amount of water
to plants, thereby ensuring that plants are watered
effectively and efficiently. Some modern irrigation timers
are controlled by smartphones and include run times to
allow managers to track water usage (see Figure 15).
Figure 15: App screenshots showing timer program and
options for budget control.

Eco-Solution 6: Hose Nozzles
For areas where manual watering is adopted, hose
nozzles should be fixed to the hoses. This ensures that
water is not wasted while travelling from pot to pot or
bench to bench.

The type of hose nozzle will also influence adoption. A
trigger-type of the nozzle is more user-friendly than the
twist-type nozzle (see Figure 16).

Figure 14: Automated irrigation timer with an
accompanying smartphone app.

Figure 16: Trigger-type nozzle (left) and Twist-type
nozzle (right).

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