INTERPOM INNOVATION TOUR CATEGORY:

Cultivation & Mechanization: from soil preparation to planting to harvesting


ARGUMENTATION ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE CHARACTER

The Météus capacitive irrigation probe helps irrigators to better manage their irrigation by measuring the humidity in the soil every 10 cm deep as well as the temperature directly near the roots. 60cm is the recommended size for potatoes.
The irrigator will be able to find on his application a graph showing the plants’ water consumption as well as the amount of water present in the soil: to know if the plant is in a hydric comfort zone, if there is too much water, or if water stress conditions are nearly reached.
It contains complementary information: the roots’ consumption at all depths, which makes it possible to adapt the date of water supply.
The advantage is that there is only one probe to install for several measurements. These are directly expressed in mm which allows easy reading of the results.


ADDED VALUE FOR THE USER (IN COMMERCIAL TERMS, USER-FRIENDLINESS ...)

The different benefits are :
- Water savings
- Time savings
- Ensure production quality
- Manager water resources
- Guarantee traceability
- Remote tracking


ADDED VALUE FOR THE FURTHER SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE POTATO SECTOR

The potato is a water-demanding plant which root system develops in depth. Its water needs are variable depending on the depth and the time periods, which requires bringing the right quantity at the right time. They are even more variable as other factors must be taken into consideration, such as the plants’ density, the fertilization rate,  climatic conditions or even the water retention capacity of the soil. Lack of water can have major impacts on production, whether on quantity (water intervenes to promote the initiation of tubers and therefore the quantity of tubers) or quality (the number of tubers will influence their cut). Water management can also impact fertilizer management. As the practice of irrigation is required for potato production, it seems essential to manage water supply.


IS THE INNOVATION A RESULT OF YOUR OWN (INTERNAL) DEVELOPMENT?

no


DATE OF MARKET INTRODUCTION IN BELGIUM

1/09/2022