DINALUPIHAN, Bataan — Some farmers here are using drip fertigation (combination of irrigation and application of fertilizers) to avoid water wastage in their farms planted to vegetables like tomatoes.
Farmer Ricky Naguiat on Friday showed how drip fertigation works in his tomato farm in Barangay Daan Bago in Dinalupihan starting with his electric-run water pump to the distribution of water in drips through laid out rubber hoses on plots direct to roots of tomato plants.
“Patak-patak lang ang tubig mula sa hose para ang pagdi distribute ng tubig at fertilizer ay pantay-pantay,” he said. Naguiat tills a hectare of land that is planted to palay during the rainy season and tomatoes during the summer months.
His water pump and drip irrigation facilities were provided free by the 1Bataan Agriculture Innovation & Technology Center and Unilever–Israel. Drip irrigation combined with the application of fertilizers is under the Israeli farm technology.
“Drip fertigation kasi pwedeng isabay ang fertilizer sa patubig. Less labor kumbaga di ka na mapapagod ilalagay sa fertilizer tank ang fertilizer then kasabay na siyang mapupunta sa mga halaman, 2-in-1 parang ganun,” Naguiat explained.
“Tipid sa patubig kasi walang nasasayang kumbaga diretso na sa puno ang tubig. Ang amount na water na kailangan lang ng halaman ang ilalagay mo lang sa kanya hindi katulad ng irrigation sobra-sobra. Flooding, hindi maganda sa ibang halaman ang sobra-sobra sa tubig,” the farmer said.
“Sa bawat puno may butas iyon na maliit na ang sukat sa pagitan ng butas ay 30 centimeters at patak-patak lang iyon. Kapag maliit pa lang ang halaman hindi siya gaano pinatutubigan dahil mabibigla iyon pero kapag malaki na siyang ganyan, every other day o kung kailangan na every day mag-fertigate,” he added.
Naguiat said he used to plant palay but when he tried vegetable farming and drip irrigation in 2,300 square meters of land, he harvested 15 tons of tomatoes. “Kung palay itatanim ko hindi ko makukuha kahit triple o gawin ng anim hindi pupwede yung palay sa inani kong 15 tons na kamatis.”
He told other farmers to seek the assistance of the provincial government under Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3 rd and 3 rd District Rep. Maria Angela Garcia on drip fertigation.
“Kung meron silang drip fertigation, malaking ginhawa at tulong sa farmer. Kung talagang maghahalaman, eh kikita at kikita. Malaking diperensiya kumpara sa palay at sa karaniwang irigasyon,” Naguiat said.
He said that he even placed tilapia on the pond that serves as storage for irrigation water. “Sayang naman yung space parang libangan na din at nagiging pataba din ang dumi ng isda sa halaman.”
