Testimonial
Juan Pedro Toro
Vinícola Patacón
Juan Pedro Toro, Production Manager at Vinícola Patacón SPA, oversees Campo San Gerardo, a 124-acre farm in Retiro, Maule region. The farm's cultivation of Vitis Vinífera includes Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tintorera, and Chardonnay, with planting years in 2009 and 2014. Their irrigation system is a 0.06-inch precipitation drip line, with irrigation monitoring and soil moisture sensors provided by DropControl.
Grape
50 hectare
Drip irrigation, DropControl irrigation monitoring and soil moisture sensors
Thanks to DropControl, our irrigation has improved significantly. Our plants are healthier and more balanced, which has led to a much greater production outlook.
We were able to increase the crop load on the plants because their overall health improved. The plants are much more fertile and have stronger roots, which allows for leaving more buds and ultimately achieving greater yields. Given these results, we have already installed DropControl on two additional farms
Just by monitoring the irrigation, you can see a change in the people who manage it. There's a system in the background controlling things, and as a result, instructions are respected much more. In Chile, it is common to irrigate by the hour, but many times we don't realize how our equipment is hydraulically performing. You might be irrigating more or less than you think, and that translates into significant production drops. With DropControl, you can detect what you are truly irrigating.
We compared a block with DropControl to one without it, and both had similar conditions. We found 25% more production in the field with DropControl, as well as 18% more pounds based on 12°. Now, if you look at the investment in relation to the installation cost, it pays for itself by the second year.
