{"id":77021,"date":"2026-04-15T13:14:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azud.com\/blog\/sub-surface-drip-irrigation-as-a-tool-for-coping-with-water-stress-3\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:45:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:45:05","slug":"sub-surface-drip-irrigation-as-a-tool-for-coping-with-water-stress-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/blog\/sub-surface-drip-irrigation-as-a-tool-for-coping-with-water-stress-3\/","title":{"rendered":"SUB-SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION as a tool for coping with water stress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Mediterranean regions, as well as other parts of the world, are currently facing a <\/span>serious water stress problem<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Very low rainfall, combined with prolonged periods of drought, significantly limits water availability. Furthermore, extreme weather events disrupt agricultural production and cause soil erosion. This, coupled with the increasingly common occurrence of soils with high salinity and low fertility, severely hinders the growth of many crops<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, there are crops, such as the carob tree<\/strong>, which have proven over decades to be particularly well-suited for combating desertification and stabilizing degraded soils thanks to their drought resistance. This is also due to their ability to grow in nutrient-poor soils. Furthermore, this tree\u2019s potential for carbon sequestration makes it a highly suitable tool for promoting climate change mitigation.<\/p>\n

However, at present, there is<\/strong> still significant room for improvement in its productivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although it has traditionally been a rain-fed crop, the impact of implementing sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI)<\/strong> It has been studied as an effective irrigation method to maximize water efficiency and improve crop yields without compromising natural resources. SDI represents a paradigm shift and a transformation in the agricultural management of this crop.<\/p>\n

UGD allows water to be applied directly to the root zone, which reduces losses due to evaporation and ensures the most efficient use of water resources<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n

\"\"SUB-SURFACE<\/p>\n

\"\"SUB-SURFACE<\/p>\n

Implementation of UGD in Carob Cultivation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As part of the CICLICA PRIMA<\/strong><\/a> As part of a research project, work was carried out in 2021 to convert an 8-hectare commercial plot of 7-year-old rain-fed carob trees. The conversion was based on the implementation of a SUB-SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION<\/strong> system using AZUD PREMIER PC AS<\/strong><\/a> 16 emitter tubes at a depth of 30 cm. Additionally, an AZUD LUXON<\/strong><\/a> A filtration system was installed to ensure the quality of the nutrient solution and prevent clogging of the irrigation emitters.<\/p>\n

For the experimental monitoring of this plot, soil probes were installed to measure substrate moisture, temperature, and conductivity; plant sensors were used to measure the trees\u2019 physiological response; and a weather station was set up to provide detailed information on the plot\u2019s environmental conditions.<\/p>\n

All of these sensors were connected to an AZUD DLOG 600<\/strong><\/a> unit, which enabled comprehensive and continuous monitoring of weather conditions and the entire crop environment for real-time tracking from any device.<\/p>\n

Under these conditions, The RGS proved to be an effective strategy for ensuring efficient water use and enabling a water supply without losses due to evaporation or runoff.<\/strong><\/p>\n

RGS made the crop more resilient to drought. It also helped minimize the negative effects of irrigation water salinity, allowing the carob tree to tolerate water with a salinity of up to 4 dS\/m.<\/p>\n

Under conditions of severe rainfall scarcity (< 200 mm of annual precipitation), RGS helped improve the carob tree\u2019s vegetative growth and increase fruit weight. It also helped maintain more stable production, even increasing yield in some cases.<\/p>\n

Under moderate rainfall conditions (400\u2013550 mm of annual precipitation), UGI helped improve production and stabilize the harvest, resulting in a more predictable and consistent yield, which in turn reduced the financial risks associated with the harvest.<\/p>\n

\"\"carob\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"carob\"\"<\/p>\n

Impact of Subsurface Drip Irrigation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a result of this transition from rain-fed carob cultivation to irrigated cultivation using SUB-SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION, the following results were obtained:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Optimized water use<\/strong>: UGD enables highly efficient water application without losses due to evaporation.<\/li>\n
  • Greater stability in water<\/strong>: UGD resulted in better-hydrated trees with less water stress.<\/li>\n
  • Weed control<\/strong>: UGD prevented the growth of unwanted weeds.<\/li>\n
  • Better adaptation to salinity<\/strong>: UGD increased the carob tree\u2019s resilience to irrigation water with high electrical conductivity.<\/li>\n
  • Positive environmental impact<\/strong>: The RGS enabled irrigation with limited and reduced water consumption, which optimized the crop’s water footprint.<\/li>\n
  • Increased profitability<\/strong>: RGS ensured more stable and higher-quality production, which resulted in lower financial risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The use of soil, plant, and weather sensors, meanwhile, ensured more efficient resource management through continuous and precise monitoring<\/strong> of the system\u2019s climatic and environmental conditions. This information enables real-time decision-making, which directly impacts the optimization of water volume application rates, ensuring that the crop receives the appropriate resources based on its actual needs.<\/p>\n

    In short, RGS has proven to be an effective and sustainable solution for increasing carob crop productivity in the context of climate change and limited water resources. <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Therefore, the adoption of efficient irrigation technologies is key to the future of the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

    \"\"Primary<\/p>\n

    The CICLICA project is part of the PRIMA program and is funded by the European Union and the Center for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI).
    <\/em><\/p>\n

    \"\"cyclical<\/p>\n

    \n
    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n

    <\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Mediterranean regions, as well as other parts of the world, are currently facing a serious water stress problem. Very low rainfall, combined with prolonged periods of drought, significantly limits water availability. Furthermore, extreme weather events disrupt agricultural production and cause soil erosion. This, coupled with the increasingly common occurrence of soils with high salinity and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[284],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77022,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77021\/revisions\/77022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}