New Client Case Study for DrainVision by Paskal

Written by: Javier Miranda; 23.02.2021

When it comes to growing high quality berries and blueberries, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration such as the sun light, the acidity of the soil, and of course, drainage. Without an efficient drainage system, your blueberry plants will struggle to produce at the level of the high-quality standards that are required in today’s industry and entering the commercial market.

Here, we explore the intrinsic benefits of working with Paskal’s innovative crop monitoring technology called “DrainVision” – and how  one of Mexico’s largest blueberry producers, “Agricola Roz”, was able to leverage DrainVision in their massive operation for growing blueberry crops with hydroponics.

DrainVision is a wireless, cloud-based irrigation monitoring system that supports growers in making knowledgeable decisions by allowing a better insight into the drain performance and water availability for the plant.

According to our client, Federico del Toro, one of the largest blueberry producers at the Agricola Roz facility in Western Mexico, DrainVision goes hand-in-hand with hydroponic crops thanks to its highly efficient monitoring technology, a system that was especially designed to give the modern day greenhouse grower a lot more control.

Join us as we discover how DrainVision was able to boost the time to market within the first year, and enhance the quality and quantity of their blueberry crop yields in a recent case study from February, 2021, by Paskal DrainVision Sales Manager, Javier Miranda.

DrainVision Case Study for Hydroponics and Blueberries at Agricola Roz, Mexico:

“We know that blueberry production is a crop that is consolidated in the soil after the fifth year of production. World demand is growing exponentially and the market demands a competitive offer both in quantity and quality of the fruit. That is why hydroponics is emerging as the only cultivation system that advances market entry from the first year of production.
The DrainVision solution is the perfect ally for any hydroponics project, in which you can obtain data on irrigation volume, drainage percentage, crop weight, and drainage EC, which allows you not only to know the characteristics and behavior of the composition of the substrate very well, but also to review and confirm the irrigation and nutrition strategies, all adapted to the crops needs.

“The DrainVision system helps to save time and money for the producer by having everything necessary in a single platform with easy data interpretation.” – Federico del Toro

DrainVision is the right tool for these hydroponic cultivation systems, which offers different advantages to blueberry producers, including greater control over the entire plant process, allowing for better and higher levels of efficiency. This system also offers advantages for producers, such as rapid fruit production with adequate and punctual fertigation strategies (reaching a sufficient harvest in less than a year).

Federico del Toro, the highest producer of berries (blueberries) per hectare in Western Mexico, shares his opinion regarding the benefits that Paskal’s DrainVision system has provided him in just one year and two months after the system was implemented, and he comments:

By implementing the DrainVision solution we were able to have an ‘x-ray’ of my complete agricultural fertigation session, and with these values and the graphs, we can fine-tune our strategy based on my own objectives. I consider the information we receive from the system essential since it generates very specific and complete data on what happens in the drainage and its behavior throughout the day.

We managed to save resources by maintaining greater efficiency of water and fertilizers, both in not wasting them and in being short on resources. On the other hand, we kept plants more balanced in their development, as well as healthier roots, both of which are related to better drainage management, leading us to have better fruit quality, higher yields, and longer crop cycles.

This DrainVision solution seems to us totally valuable for our decision making, we would like to recommend other berry producers to use this tool.”

– Federico del Toro
Case study by: Javier Miranda; 23.02.2021

Save Money and Boost Blueberry Quality and Yield

The DrainVision system offers optimized irrigation and improved growth for blueberries by quickly identifying any issues such as poor moisture conditions in the root zone, or low transpiration, enabling you to take action just in time. DrainVision records both the current and the historical conditions of your blueberries growth where the data is presented in user friendly graphs. The information is stored in a secured account and can be seen and analyzed on any device: smartphone, tablet, or PC.

You can save up to thousands of dollars per hectare by optimizing drain performance for improved crop yield. Now your plants can benefit from a healthier root environment and less build-up of salt in the substrate. With smart system alerts, DrainVision keeps you informed about your plants’ optimal conditions, anywhere at any time. Not only is DrainVision easy to install, but it’s also simple to maintain with its competitive price, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Optimization of Blueberries Irrigation with DrainVision System

Beyond the costs and savings, by using the DrainVision system, you will also be able to better utilize the scheduling of irrigation and fertilizers. Having a healthy air-to-water ratio in the substrate helps prevent root disease and pathogens, resulting in much healthier root zones. The data is collected in 5-minute intervals and updated on the user screen every ten minutes.

Set up your thresholds to get smart alerts that provide real-time warnings when unfavorable conditions develop. Blueberry yields can increase by up to 3% while reducing as much as 40% in water and fertilizers as DrainVision’s system can save up to 20% daily runoff. Optimizing and planning the irrigation strategy can significantly reduce the amount of drainage, save unnecessary costs of irrigation, and improve growing conditions.

Conclusions and Takeaways

For modern growers growing blueberries, the proper drain percentage from the irrigation quantity is an important factor for maintaining optimal plant growth. With DrainVision’s irrigation intelligence, growers are able to make more data-informed decisions that enable them to achieve more effective irrigation management based on each plant’s unique condition. Having the right information helps more growers understand exactly how to manage their time and where to focus their attention. By implementing DrainVision with your blueberry crops, you will be able to control and optimize the ultimate product quality in order to meet the market’s high demands. Save time, money, and resources using DrainVision for blueberry crops!