Fewer irrigation cycles with better results
Tholen – The irrigation water of a grower in Sicily contained only 6 ppm of oxygen—just 3 ppm at the drippers. As a result, especially during the hot South Italian summers, crop losses reached up to twenty percent. For grower Andrea Ferrera, this was reason enough to invest in a nanobubble system.
His company, Ferrera Flowers, cultivates various ornamental plants, including dahlia, statice, and gypsophila, in foil greenhouses over an area of more than 12 hectares. The third-generation grower’s crops are partly grown in open fields and partly in pots on substrate. His father, Giovanni, runs Coral Verde, a nearby company that grows fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchinis.
During a video interview with Andrea, his father briefly greets Nadir Laaguili from Agrona and interpreter Carla Sentel. Agrona supplied the nanobubble system to the Sicilian grower, who began using it for the first time this summer after its installation in February.
The Sicilian grower relies on groundwater. “There’s still enough in the ground here. In other regions, that’s not always the case—they use tap water instead.”
The nanobubble technology is still relatively new to the region, though many growers are aware of its potential. “Andrea learned about the technology through his father,” explains Carla, who has been assisting companies from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in entering the Italian market for over forty years.
Drastic reduction in crop loss
Andrea mainly struggled with problems during the summer. Measurements showed that his irrigation water contained too little oxygen. “On hot days, I had to water every thirty minutes just to keep the crops healthy. After installing the nanobubble system, I could extend the time between irrigation cycles. This summer, watering every one and a half hours was sufficient. I can also apply larger amounts per irrigation cycle, rather than the many small doses I previously needed.”
