Taking control of an irrigation system’s flow rate can prove to be an expensive and time-consuming exercise for vegetable growers. However, an Australian-made drip tape is available on the market to help growers with the uniformity of their flow rate and improve overall irrigation efficiency that can lead to better yields, even in challenging terrain that might otherwise be impractical to farm.

Drip irrigation is a mainstream technology in dozens of crop production systems throughout the world. It allows producers to evenly spoon-feed precious water and nutrients directly to every plant’s root zone despite variable soil conditions, undulating terrain, odd field dimensions or long lengths of run.

Designed to give Australian growers the best of both worlds with optimal features of a pressure-compensating tape and non-pressure compensating tape, Toro® Aqua-Traxx® FlowControl™ Drip Tape offers more uniform irrigation for any terrain and the flexibility to control the overall system flow rate.

Trusted to bring the best in drip tape solutions, it can help vegetable growers take control of their irrigation system’s flow rate efficiently and economically.

For years, growers have dealt with irrigation technology that is unable to consistently water uneven, sloped and hilly terrain – trying to achieve a healthy crop at low and high elevations can prove challenging. With Aqua-Traxx FlowControl technology, growers can move away from poor performance irrigation systems, start to meet market demands and be prepared for unpredictable weather patterns.

While standard drip tapes offer growers the ability to apply water and nutrients efficiently, uniformity is sacrificed over longer runs and uneven ground. However, with FlowControl’s unmatched patented emitter flowpath, clog resistance and precision placement of valuable water and nutrients, longer runs are made easy with better uniformity in steeply sloping fields resulting to higher quality yields for growers.

“Aqua-Traxx FlowControl gives the grower a valuable tool to help improve the irrigation uniformity, crop yield and quality,” Toro Territory Manager Tony Townson explains.

“Growers with difficult terrain and changing elevations in Queensland’s Bundaberg and Mareeba regions are getting the most out of their yields, without the additional cost.”

Grower benefits

Before, growers who wanted consistency and quality over their challenging terrain had to resort to expensive heavy wall pressure-compensating drip lines with closer emitter spacing. But with a wide range of available thicknesses compared to pressure-compensating drip lines, FlowControl provides a cost-effective solution for those farming on challenging terrain. Its ability to run over long distances also reduces set-up costs.

Available in wide range of wall thicknesses, offers one price point for any emitter spacing between 15 and 60 centimetres – providing growers with their desirable wetting pattern, without the extra costs.

Readers can visit aquaflow.toro.com to make their own comparison and learn how this product can improve their system’s performance.

Meanwhile, Toro’s free drip irrigation design software – AquaFlow™ – allows growers to see how different products will perform for each unique application. It calculates emission uniformity (EU) and generates colour-coded Uniformity Maps to help select the right product configuration for specific application.

Find out more

Please visit the Toro Australia website or visit your local dealer.

Toro® Aqua-Traxx® FlowControl™ Drip Tape.