Testimonial
Marcelo Orellana
AGRÍCOLA LAS NUECES LTDA
Marcelo Orellana is the General Manager of Agrícola Las Nueces Ltda, located in Chile’s Maule region. The company manages 68 hectares of Chandler walnut trees, planted in 2016 on clay loam soils. They use the DropControl Telemetry system to monitor soil moisture sensors and a weather station, as well as to control and oversee irrigation and fertigation.
Wallnut
68 Hectare
Complete Automation
Proper irrigation management from the very start of planting is one of the most important factors in achieving rapid development and uniform growth across the orchard.
Being a species highly sensitive to root asphyxia, irrigation management must be carried out with a correct balance between water availability and the lack of oxygen that can occur with excessive irrigation. For this reason, it is essential to maintain the right balance between the water available to the plant and the reduced oxygen levels that can develop in the soil when over-irrigated.
Walnut trees are highly demanding when it comes to soil depth and aeration. This makes water management critical, since both excess and shortage can limit tree growth, reduce yields and fruit quality, and increase the risk of Phytophthora
From the start of the project, soil moisture sensors were installed in each sector of the field, together with DropControl irrigation and fertigation control.
Adjusting the sensor management lines at each phenological stage has made it possible to optimize water use, saving not only water but also energy, since the pumps run only when needed. This has also delivered excellent results in yields, fruit size, and quality, achieving above-average outcomes that make the crop more profitable.
Production (kg dry weight/ha)
Thanks to proper irrigation management, less than 2% of the trees showed Phytophthora. By the fourth harvest season, production reached approximately 6,244 lb/acre with a fruit fill percentage above 50%, demonstrating not only strong yields but also high fruit quality.
At first, it was difficult to break the paradigm that walnut trees should be irrigated for 18 hours, a guideline that nearly everyone in the industry followed. However, by observing water behavior in the soil through graphs, we now irrigate for only 6 hours.
