New Paper Published! Fertigation With Sprinklers: Food and Water Security on the Ukrainian Steppe
BioResources and Technology Division (BRT) Director Assoc Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík recently published an article!
Researchers from Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague in close collaboration with colleagues from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, examine the prospects of fertigation on black soils in the south of Ukraine using sprinkler irrigators
Ukraine is facing climate change, soil degradation and the loss of one third of the country’s freshwater resources due to Russia's full-scale invasion and destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir. The study explores how fertigation - a method of delivering fertilisers through irrigation systems - can help maintain soil health and optimise crop yields under these challenging conditions. By compiling daily soil hydrographs, it is possible to track changing water availability and control the soil water regime to ensure irrigation efficiency, preserve soil condition, and boost yields.
Fertigation enables a more uniform distribution of fertilisers across the field compared to conventional broadcasting, and supplies nutrients during critical stages of crop growth when the size of the crop excludes wheeled vehicles. Comprehensive management of soil water and nutrient supply throughout the growing season yielded 16-17 t/ha of grain corn; the water-use coefficient was 344 m3/t; total water consumption reached 5?670 m3/ha, of which 2?900 m3/ha was irrigation.
To improve the competitiveness and environmental sustainability of agriculture in drylands, future research on agrotechnology for programmed grain yields should focus on energy and resource conservation at every stage of the technological cycle: tillage, fertiliser application, hybrid selection, calculation of water-saving irrigation regimes, selection of irrigation methods and equipment.
Figure. Fragmentary hydrograph of soil water reserves with the irrigation regime for grain corn: h – precipitation; m – irrigation rate; W50-70-80 – soil water reserves at depths of 50, 70 and 80cm, respectively.
Keywords: fertigation, fertiliser, irrigation, food security, water security, corn, Ukrainian steppe.
Citation: Onopriienko, D., Hapich, H., Tkachuk, A., Dent, D., Kovalenko, V., Makarova, T., Roubík, H. (2025). Fertigation with sprinklers: Food and water security on the Ukrainian steppe. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 26(6), 150-161. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/202346
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