New water restrictions announced in California underscore the need to better manage water resources, especially irrigation. Precision Laboratories has introduced Tolero, an irrigation injection surfactant that increases crop yields while reducing irrigation water and the energy needed to move it.
“Agricultural irrigation is the top consumer of water in the United States. With mounting competition for fresh water, growers are under immense pressure to increase crop yields while reducing water and energy,” said Don Spier, vice president at Precision Laboratories. “We understand these demands on growers and are proud to help them be successful in a whole new way that can revolutionize agricultural irrigation practices.”
Irrigation in the U.S. covers nearly 52 million acres of harvested cropland and uses more than 79 billion gallons of water per day, according to the 2013 data from the USDA Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey. This vast amount of water has great opportunities for more effective management with less waste. Many growers experience issues with water reaching the crop due to run-off and lack of distribution in the soil. Tolero improves the infiltration of irrigation and rainfall by spreading it into and throughout the plant’s root zone, keeping it readily available as needed. The increased water content in the soil enhances the growing environment by reducing plant stress and improving water and nutrient distribution.
“Lack of available water at critical stages of plant development negatively affects the establishment, fruit set, plant health and yield of most high-value crops,” said Spier. “Agronomists in western United States report thousands of acres of land are being removed from production due to insufficient water to grow crops. Incorporating Tolero into an overall water management program is proven to save water in one of two ways, either reducing irrigation time or increasing intervals between watering.”
Tolero has been shown to significantly increase crop yields, by nearly 80 percent in some cases, while cutting water use by 40 percent, as well as reducing soil compaction and enhancing the growing environment for roots and overall plant health.
More information is available on the Precision Laboratories website.