Fully Automated Irrigation System Boosts Yields Despite Severe Drought

As Europe's summers are becoming hotter and drier, farmers seek new ways of protecting their crops and increasing harvests. Valentin Troanca, a major agricultural producer in Southern Romania, is one of the farmers who have opted for Pipelife's smart precision irrigation and water supply solutions to maximize yields on their lands. Saving on water, energy, time and labor, the fully automated irrigation setup proved its advantages after just one season.

_{Cultivating Success}

Today, Valentin Troanca is one of the largest landowners in Calarasi County, Romania. His farm, IF Troanca, covers 1000 hectares, consisting of 600 hectares of owned land and an additional 400 hectares of rented fields. Together with his two sons, Valentin specializes in growing crops like wheat, sunflower, rapeseed and sugar cane. Yet, the main culture at the farm is corn, grown on roughly 40% of the total farmland.

IF Troanca’s remarkable success is the result of years of dedicated effort. With limited land at the outset, Valentin devoted himself to optimizing crop yields and reinvesting the proceeds into business growth.

Following last year's extreme droughts and poor harvests throughout Romania, the experienced farmer was looking for ways to protect his crops amid the changing climate. Hearing positive feedback from another farmer and customer, he turned to Pipelife to install a precision irrigation and water supply system in one of his fields. The large area of land to be managed and a genuine interest in cutting-edge agricultural tech motivated Valentin to opt for a fully automated irrigation setup.

_{Adapting to Changing Climates}

Only a few years ago, corn farming in Romania did not require irrigation. Yet, higher temperatures and shortage of precipitation during the vegetation period have motivated many farmers to reconsider the traditional approach. Today, corn irrigation season in Romania varies from 90 to 200 days, with an average of 150 days.

At IF Troanca, the corn was planted in mid-April, and irrigation system installation commenced on May 15, aligning with the crucial growth stage when the plants had six leaves. The irrigated area, spanning 62 hectares, was divided into four irrigation zones, each comprising five 3-hectare sectors.

"The irrigation regime in each zone was switched every hour from one sector to another, with a total water flow rate of 175 cubic meters per hour across all four zones," explains Ionut Mocanu, Irrigation Manager at Pipelife Romania.

Fully automated operation and remote control greatly facilitated the management of the large-scale system. The irrigated field was taken care of by Valentin's son Viorel, who appreciated that the new irrigation solution could be easily controlled from his phone. Apart from starting and stopping the system remotely, he could also monitor the irrigation process and receive notifications in case of any issues. The continuous support from Pipelife's Irrigation Manager, Ionut Mocanu, was crucial in mastering the new technology and helped promptly address any questions or challenges in its operation.

_{Improved Crop Resilience, Higher Yields}

As Central Europe experienced another unusually hot and dry summer, the differences in growth between irrigated and non-irrigated fields became painstakingly obvious.

"Throughout the vegetation period, many areas in Romania saw less than 100 liters of precipitation per square meter," says Mocanu. "The typical amount of rain here during these five months should reach at least 350-400 liters per square meter."

The droughts were paired with a drop in corn prices on the markets, making it even harder for farmers to make ends meet. At least half of non-irrigated corn fields in the region experienced crop failures, and around 40% produced only 1000 kg of corn per hectare. Around 10% of non-irrigated fields had better harvests, up to 3 tons per hectare.

In contrast, the yields on the irrigated field at IF Troanca reached 8.3 tons per hectare, and Mocanu adds that his other customers have seen similar results.

"With the current corn prices, local farmers need to harvest at least 6 tons per hectare to cover their expenses," he says. "Clearly, this year's unprecedented heatwaves affected both irrigated and non-irrigated crops, but we can see how precision irrigation helps farmers secure yields and remain competitive even under extreme conditions."

While the cultivation season in Romania has concluded, Valentin's commitment to enhancing his farm's productivity keeps growing. Next year, he plans to extend his precision irrigation system to another 100 hectares of land to ensure the continued success of his family business.