Precision Irrigation

© LTI 2020, all right re

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Topics
• Introduction • Differences from conventional method
• Main irrigation method • Farm Planning Considerations
• Monitor plant needs • Land Preparation
• Drip irrigation • Soil tests
• Multi pulses • Seed spacing
• 24/7 operation • Use of fertilizers
• Unified soil solution • Chemigation
• Shorter growth cycles
• Additional advantages • Increase crop genetic potential
• Stronger roots
• Growing everything everywhere
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Introduction

Real-Time Root Response

• AGRINOZE's highly accurate system of fertigation, ensures plants

receive a precise amount of water and nutrients - on demand -
on a 24/7basis, ensuring a crop of premium, export-quality fruit
and vegetables.
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Introduction
Current Irrigation Methods
• Globally, conventional fruit and vegetable cultivation use
standardized „growing protocols‟ – outdated crop growing
methods which largely rely on local experience together with
measuring tables and formulas for calculating evaporation by
determining water loss (AKA “crop models”).
• This widely used measuring method is unable to calculate all the
vital parameters accurately and on a real-time basis. Without an
ability to manage precise irrigation and nutrient inputs at exact
and defined timing the crop will never reach its full yield and
genetic potential and waist of water and unnecessary fertilizers.
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Introduction
Our Solution
• Our unique precise methodology utilizes the plant root‟s itself as
a "super sensor" by monitoring the plant‟s physiological activity
day and night and reacts in real-time to the changes and/or needs
in the plant's physiological cycle.
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Introduction
The way we are doing better
• AGRINOZE's ability to increase yield is derived from the following factors
which are inherent in our irrigation method and approach:
• Enable the plant to reach its full genetic growth potential can generate 15%-30% more
yield compared to other methods.
• A dense planting protocol: shorter distances between seeds and shorter distances
between rows. This means that we can plant double the quantity of plants per hectare
(square meter).
• More growth cycles: shorter growth cycles allow more growth cycles per year compared
to traditional agriculture.
 Main Irrigation Method

© LTI 2020, all right reserved

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Main Irrigation Method

• AGRINOZE irrigation method uses several tools to create a layer
of soil atthe plant's roots area which provides optimal
conditions for theroot system to be developed.
• Adjusting and maintaining these soil layer in an optimal condition
derives from many years of experience in many diverse
agricultural conditions and intended to supply plant's demands in
several aspects and transforming it into a sophisticated algorithm.
• For instance: available oxygen supply, convenient water tension
in soil (reducing the difficulty in root feeders feeding) and
available fertilizers solution.
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How it Works
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How it Works
• In order to pursue these conditions, we must monitor plant's
demand continuously and react in real-time and accurately.
• We use several sensors to provide the required data: several
sensors to check the water tension in soil, a multi sensor to
monitor humidity, temperature and salinity and a sensor to check
pH at the root area.
• These parameters are injected promptly and continuously via
wired or wireless communication that is deployed in the field and
provide stable and secure data transfer to the irrigation
controller.
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How it Works
• Plant's roots monitoring is performed continuously 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week so it can enable plant's demand throughout
the day and in any weather conditions.
• Working this way, the plant receives continuously care all day
long (day and night) and thus eliminate waiting periods for
correcting the stress conditions in the growing area which occur
while following common protocols.
• AGRINOZE‟s proven algorithm is embedded at the irrigation
controller, receives all sensors parameters, process it in real-
time, and command the system on the required amount and
mix of waterand nutrition‟s is needed to maintain the precise
growing condition.
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How it Works
• In case the algorithm decision is to supply a correction for
growing area conditions, it calculates automatically a solution
including water amounts and fertilizers rates and start fertigating
immediately.
• The sensors are transmitting the plant's data to the irrigation
controller for continuous processing, so that the precise
parameters monitored and maintained, and the optimal conditions
at the plant‟s root base are kept. The data is stored in the system
for improving the process using AI solution.
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How it Works

Monitor Decision Irrigation

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Drip Irrigation

• The type of dripping pipes for precision irrigation is conducted using a

non-drain, pressure compensating (PC) drip pipe in low flow rates.

• Drip irrigation advantages are many, for example:

• Fertilizer and nutrient loss are minimized due to an accurate localized
application and reduced leaching.

• Fields with irregular shapes are easily controlled.

• Recycled non-potable water can be safely used.

• Water application efficiency is high if managed correctly.

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Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation - Many advantages

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Drip Irrigation
• Moisture within the root zone is maintained at field capacity.

• Soil type are less influencing regarding the frequency of irrigation.

• Soil erosion is lessened.

• Weed growth is reduced.

• Water distribution is highly uniform, controlled by the output of each

dripper.

• Labor cost is less than other irrigation methods due to extended life
span.
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Drip Irrigation
• Variation in supply can be regulated by controlling the amount of water in
drippers.
• Non-drain dripper improves water usage efficiency is much more than regular
drippers.
• Precise fertigation is eliminating the waste of fertilizers.

• Chemigation (water and chemicals) can be used for pest control.

• Foliage remains dry, reducing the risk of disease and fungus.
• Usually operated at lower pressure and lower hourly water capacity than other
types of pressurized irrigation, reducing energy costs.
• Precise irrigation low capacity enables the use of low capacity water supply.
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Drip Irrigation

• The two main important objectives in AGRINOZE irrigation

infrastructure are:
• The ability to perform short, precise and immediate irrigations for all field
areas with no delay (no need to wait for the pipeline to be filled, it is
already hold shortly to the dripper).

• The ability to provide nutrients directly to the root system using

fertigation and having real-time response.
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Multi Pulses

• Short and precise irrigations enable simultaneous inspection and

monitoring of the received data from the plant's sensors and the
ability to immediately provide the exact amount of water until the
conditions resume to optimal environment for the plant.

• This way, the optimal condition balance is preserved, and every

change is treated immediately.
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24/7 Operation
• The operations cycle is as followed:
• Monitor - Continuous monitoring of the plant's roots growing environment.
• Process - Processing the received data in real-time at the irrigation controller
using the precision irrigation algorithm.
• Decision on the correct amount of water and nutrient needed.
• React - Immediate response if a decision is made to irrigate using the
appropriate drip lines infrastructure.
• Stop irrigate when optimal conditions resumed.
• Repeat continuously.
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24/7 Operation

• Meaning – all the process is operating continuously in real-time,

day and night, in any weather and environmental condition with
no delay or interruptions.
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Unified Soil Solution

• This method of 'monitor – process – react' continuously provides

unified soil solution at the root area that supplies the ideal
parameters for growing.

• Many years of experience thought us that as long as the growing

area has a certain relatively unified soil, AGRINOZE can adjust the
optimalcondition for the monitored area a derive the operation
to a broaden area.
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Unified Soil Solution

• During this part of farm precision irrigation establishment

AGRINOZE analyzes the soil and plant and then physically
create a very effective root system.

• In the next step AGRINOZE creates ideal growing conditions in a

small and confined control space within each of the root‟s area.
Duringthis phase the soil drainage is tested, the reaction of
sensor's parameters to the testing irrigations are tested, etc.
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Unified Soil Solution

• The following step is to reflect the ideal growing conditions with

algorithm precision method in order to repeat the growing
success in the rest of the field.

• The final stage is deploying the irrigation and fertigation plan.

Automatic module will manage, monitor and adapt it to changing
needs.
 Additional Advantages of GRINOZE’s
Precision Irrigation Methodology
© LTI 2020, all right reserved
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Stronger, Effective and Healthier Roots

• AGRINOAE irrigation is oriented to developing strong, stable
and healthyroot system for any crop within the precision
irrigation area.

• The optimal conditions provided to the root system reduce

plant's effort on "waste" energy on developing unnecessary roots
in order to search for the need of water, oxygen and nutrients.

• All these needs are supplied in its living area with no need to
invest more effort seeking for water and food.
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Stronger, Effective and Healthier Roots

• Using this method of creating the best available root system for the
crop enables a self-development of the plant so it can grow and
become more effective faster.

• One of the influences of this concept is the ability to grow standard

seedlings improving their root system and make them equal to every
other plant by empowering their root system tremendously.

• These weaker seedlings can also grow to their higher genetic potential
just like all others.
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Growing Everything Everywhere

• The unified soil solution creates a global infrastructure for any

root system of any crop which can develop optimally.

• From that reason it can be an option to grow any crop anywhere

assuming that the soil is almost not a factor and there is an ability
to supply plant's demands almost in any weather condition.
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Growing Everything Everywhere

• There are exceptions for this declaration in the shape of crops

with a botanical limit that the soil solution cannot pass.

• For example – apple trees need a certain low temperature to

produce fruits, the same with date palm trees that require certain
high temperature to produce fruits and there are some others.
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Growing Everything Everywhere

• Using this method, we can grow rice on dry land with drip irrigation
because the crop's needs are always supplied. The results of growing
rice with drip irrigation are better than flooding in respect to the higher
yield, the required water and fertilizers amounts and many more
aspects.

• In growing tomatoes, we found that there was ripening of fruit at

temperatures higher than 40ºC. Growing cocoa and coffee in sea level
is also possible.
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Growing Everything Everywhere

12 months after planting
Growing Olives in sand 50% less water and 80% less fertilizer used
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Growing Everything Everywhere

Rice Cocoa
Dry land, No flooding Sea level, temperature over 45°c
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Growing Everything Everywhere

Melon Cherry Tomatoes

High brix, temperature over 45°c High Brix, temperature over 45°c
 Differences from Conventional
Methods
©
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Farm Planning Considerations

• One of the most significantly important parameters on a new

agricultural farm planning in AGRINOZE precision irrigation
model is thesoil drainage abilities.

• If the soil is well drain – most of other condition will only induce a
small effect on the ability to grow any crop in the farm area.
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Farm Planning Considerations

• Planning an agricultural farm in this method requires several

considerations:
• Analysis of expected available water amounts and plan adequate water
sources to supply the expected water demand to the farm.

• Water source must stand for a certain quality standard.

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Farm Planning Considerations

• Analysis of the growing areas and thorough planning of drip lines
installation (Subsurface and over surface):
• The drip lines infrastructure planning is affected by soil type and especially the way
it drains (mostly vertically or mostly horizontally).

• According to this parameter we derive the spacing between each drip line and the
dripper spacing in the drip line itself so that the infrastructure can provide us with
the ability to create a unified soil solution.
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Land Preparation

• Land preparation is mainly affected by the drainage of the soil.

• A well-drained soil can eliminate the require to construct raised

beds and reduce the soil tillage significantly.

• As much as we deal with a soil with less effective drainage, we

need to consider the construction of higher raised beds, more
drain trenches, additional slopes in the plots and more.
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Land Preparation

• The land preparation between crops requires minimal tillage due

to the stable balance preserved in the soil, thus there is almost no
need to vent the soil and uniformly distribute the fertilizers.

• These are already done continuously.

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Soil Tests
• Except from unusual cases, only one soil test in the field is needed
before commencing farm operation in order to verify that there are no
unusual parameters in the soil.

• On the other side of the initial test we are not required to perform any
more soil test since the unified soil solution which is monitored
continuously provides us a very accurate point of view over the
existing conditions at the root system area – these are the most
important and relevant conditions which affects the crop growth.
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Soil Tests
• As elaborated on hydroponic in soil section in this document, the soil
solution is almost saturated and therefore less affected from soil
characteristics.

• The soil role is to provide a stable platform for sowing/planting, a

receptacle for the ideal solution, and as a secondary role to provide its
existing nutrients which are available for the plant.

• Other tests to perform routinely in order to monitor proper growth of

the plant are root observation test and leaf chemical analysis.
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Seed Spacing
• AGRINOZE precision irrigation method enables shorter spacing
between rowsand seeds than the known standard.

• The main reason for this ability to sow denser is the fact that the
unified soil solution is stable and supplies all crops demand during all
crop growth cycle.

• This solution provides ideal environment for any root system that
being planted in it and therefore no water or stress affect is obvious to
these plants even in high density planting.
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Seed Spacing

• Additionally, there are some crops that require wide spreading

area (large tubers, wide foliage, etc.), they are also available for
denser planting:
• Large tubers - the main part of the root system of large tubers crops will
be developed in the area where the unified soil solution provides the
ideal conditions. When the crop request to broaden its tubers then it
would develop deeper to the ground, allowing the strong root system to
provide water and nutrients to the deepening tubers.
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Seed Spacing
• Wide foliage – most of our concern in planting denser with wide foliage
crops is to block the sun rays for the plant's photosynthesis process. Due
to the soil solution and the ideal condition the plant receives in its root
system, the foliage is more fresh, strong and ready to absorb sun light.
The need for direct sun light plays less important role in crop growth
progress but still is important.
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Seed Spacing

• Consideration must be given to create a balance between seed

density and the advantages of the soil solution and between the
ability to provide enough sun light to plant's foliage for basic life
cycle operations in plants growth.

• While planning denser seed spacing, we need to consider and

provide enough ventilation for the plants foliage to decrease the
potential for fungus (mostly relevant in greenhouse planning).
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Seed Spacing Table

Agrinoze Agrinoze

Agrinoze Agrinoze
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Use of Fertilizers
• There is no need for a preliminary and planned use of fertilizers.

• There is no need and it is also not recommended to use compost

or manure on soil.

• The unified soil solution contains all the required nutrients for the
plant according to its changing needs continuously.
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Use of Fertilizers

• A plant which requires different amounts of certain nutrients

throughout its life cycle receives them all constantly at the level it
needs due to the ongoing correction process that monitors its
needs and compensate to the optimal conditions.

• After many years of conducting the precision irrigation method

we experienced much less usage of fertilizers up to 50% and
even more in respect to conventional irrigation.
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Use of Fertilizers

• The method is dynamic, and it depends on plants' needs, thus we

have to learn, in an ongoing process, the required amounts and
composition of the fertilizers being used for the field.
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Actual Results Achieved

Result Drivers
% Fertilizer % Water % Yield
• Yield increase: the plant reaches saved saved increase*

significantly higher growth. Apple - UK 50% 51% 40%

• A dense planting protocol: shorter Pepper - Spain 50% 50% 30%

distances between seeds/rows and Cucumber - Spain 51% 50% 60%

compensate for possible shading. Tomato - Spain 50% 51% 40%

• Shorter growth cycles: increase C. Tomato - Spain 50% 50% 60%

number of cycles per measured Eggplant - Spain 51% 49% 30%

period. Grapes - Peru 50% 50% 40%

• Quality: Crops maintain the same Bananas - Israel 80% 50% 40%

or better quality. Strawberry - UK 51% 49% 100%

* Compared to each farm‟s Benchmark

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Chemigation

• As an additional feature, the drip irrigation system is also used as

an infrastructure for distributing chemicals with the irrigation
water.

• Chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides must be fully soluble

in water and then they could be injected into the drip irrigation
system for chemical application, penetrating the soil through the
system.
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Chemigation

• There are several advantages for chemical application using the

drip irrigation system:
• More accurate application of pesticides.

• Minimal surface and subsurface compaction of susceptible soil types.

• Little mechanical damage to crops relative to other machineries.

• Activation of moisture-dependent chemicals.

• Reduced risk of operator exposure.

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Chemigation

• Chemigation is an option in many drip irrigation systems and is

not unique to AGRINOZE precision irrigation.

• Chemigation application should be performed using a specific

procedure.
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Shorter Growth Cycles

• Using AGRINOZE precision irrigation method and creating the unified
soil solutionenables the crops to grow more efficiently and reach full
maturity faster.

• Each part in crop life cycle last shorter time as long as plant's demands are
satisfied.

• From AGRINOZE experience, due to faster plant growing we notice that

growth cycles get shorter from planting to harvest for each specific crop,
and due tothe opportunity to grow in any weather conditions and
anywhere, higher yields are expected.
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Increase Crop Genetic Potential

• Addition effect of this method is the enhancement of yield by

exploiting crop's genetic potential to the maximum in the very
adjusted environment.

• It is noticeable to see more fruits/grains than usual on each plant.

• The exploiting of plant's genetic potential is an important

parameter for the increase of the overall yield per area.