NETAFIM Global
GROW THE BEST MAIZE YOU’VE EVER GROWN
When you’re growing maize, whether it's for human or animal consumption, every season is a race to higher yields.
But when you’ve got a more precise way to control your water and nutrients, every season is better than the last one.
The challenge for maize farmers
Maize (or corn) reacts dramatically to the amount of water and nutrients it is exposed to. While traditional irrigation systems like flood and pivot give you some control, they’re inefficient and less uniform in the way they apply water. This becomes even more evident across different soil types, making it difficult to ensure you get uniformly better crops. These traditional irrigation methods are also not suited to uneven topography or odd shaped fields.
How precision irrigation helps
Precision irrigation in the form of sub-surface drip (SDI) gives you better control by delivering water and nutrients directly to the roots of each plant, in specific combinations, according to your plants’ developmental stages. It fits into any plot, and can be applied to all topographies, field sizes and soil types. So you can maintain optimal soil moisture and nutrient levels in all conditions.
Adding digital controls to your system allows you to monitor and optimise your yield as it’s growing, gaining data about every aspect of your field and local climate. So wherever you are, whether you’re growing for grain, silage, seed production or sweetcorn, you’ll ensure consistently high, top-quality yields every season. And even bigger profits.
Maize FAQs
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Should I use surface or sub-surface drip irrigation?
Sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) systems are most suitable for large-scale maize field operations. Compared with on-surface systems, SDI systems deliver additional benefits such as lower labor requirements, and operational simplicity. SDI systems favor modern tillage practices such as no-till or minimum tillage.
On-surface systems are best for small to medium-scale growers, and for use on extremely sandy soil plots. They’re also a great option for plots that are deep-tilled or for plots that are rented where growers would prefer to avoid investments in non-mobile equipment. But while they require a lower initial investment, they do carry a higher operational cost.
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If I have a lot of rainfall, will drip still be a good investment?
Definitely. While having ample rainfall is obviously a huge advantage, rain is never timely enough to allow the crop to reach its full yield potential. This is even more evident with sandy soils that have a lower water holding capacity. Additionally, drip is also a nutrient delivery system that allows you to fertigate and control the nutrient levels in your soil in a precise and economical way. Applying all of your fertiliser in a single application can be wasteful, especially under rainy conditions that provoke leaching. Splitting your nutrient application along the season guarantees that your crop gets what it needs when it needs it. This is what makes drip systems the perfect tool for increasing productivity in previously rain-fed plots.
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What if I have an uneven topography or an irregularly shaped field?
Drip irrigation fits all plot shapes and sizes, all soil types and all topographies. You can use pressure compensating dripperlines that maintain the same flow rate across different pressure levels so every plant in the field gets exactly the same amount of water and nutrients no matter the elevation changes or distance from the water source.
Growers stories
Meet the people pioneering precision irrigation in maize
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Get more details on our solutions
Precision irrigation for open field farms
You’re trying to keep a delicate balance between smart risk-management and optimal crop growth. That’s the challenge of open field agriculture.
You need a solution that makes the best use of your land, time and resources, while guaranteeing consistent results in the field. A solution that’s right for your crop, soil, climate, topography, crop cycles and business model.
That’s where precision irrigation comes in.
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Precision nutrigation
Plant nutrition isn’t a matter of quantity – it’s a matter of efficiency. Precision nutrigation delivers nutrients straight to the roots of each plant, in personalised combinations, with perfect timing. So you use fertiliser more efficiently and get the best return on your inputs. Even in cases where soil moisture is balanced and there is no need for additional irrigation, applying nutrients through your system allows you to give your crop what it needs, when it need it, to grow much higher yields.
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Our products
Find the ideal precision irrigation system for your crop, climate, and topography.
Every season is a race to grow higher yields with fewer resources. Browse our range of innovative products and tailor-made solutions and start optimising your use of the land, water and fertiliser. For higher and better yields, every time.
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Need help finding the best solution for your farm?
Get in touch, and we can talk about what your crop needs.