IrrigationNZ honours product that supports efficient water use in 2022 Innovation in Irrigation Award

IrrigationNZ honours product that supports efficient water use in 2022 Innovation in Irrigation Award

The Innovation in Irrigation Award, sponsored by Ballance Agri-Nutrients, is given every second year in conjunction with our other awards. It celebrates, encourages, and promotes innovation, alongside the positive initiatives being undertaken in our communities with, and as a result of, irrigation. This year was the sixth time it was awarded. Three finalists are selected from the entries, and the winner is selected by a panel of independent judges. Entries can range from technical innovation; to projects and research that enhance or improve the environment, to projects and research that have led to improved community outcomes.

This year the three finalists were Robinson SDI, Emrgy, and H2Ortigator. H2Ortigator was selected as the winner. The judges noted the deciding factor which got them over the line was the ability to achieve short term productive advantages combined with efficiency and long-term sustainability all in one product, which is rarely achieved in the irrigation industry.

Brendan and Hayley Hamilton are the developers of H2Ortigator. We spoke to them about their product and where it all began.

Please explain what H2ortigator is and how it works?

H2Ortigator is an irrigation and plant protection unit for young replacement trees and vines in commercial horticulture (apples, grapes, kiwifruit, avocado, and more).

H2Ortigator provides protection and creates ideal soil moisture conditions for the replacement tree or vine, increasing early growth, and decreasing replacement mortality, all while saving water.

The unit works in conjunction with, and is controlled by, the existing fixed irrigation system (drip or micro sprinkler). It accumulates water at the tree and continues to provide precise, ultra­low rate irrigation directly to the replacement tree’s rootzone for up to three days once irrigation for the mature tree has ceased.

What is your background? Where are you based? Do you have previous experience in irrigation?

I (Brendan) studied physical geography and soil science at Massey. I worked a number of years for the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) as a biosecurity officer at the border and offshore. Following that I moved to sunny Hawke’s Bay where I began working for Fruition Horticulture, a horticultural consultancy and technical services provider. My role focused on providing a soil moisture monitoring service (neutron probe and continuous soil moisture monitoring), and providing irrigation scheduling to orchards and vineyards throughout the region.

How did H2Ortigator come about – where did the idea come from?

The idea for H2Ortigator began to germinate when we moved to a lifestyle block in Hawke’s Bay and experienced several very dry

summers. I was planting native trees on the property and having limited success keeping them alive, let alone growing. I could care for most of the trees’ needs but I struggled to keep up with watering requirements, particularly when bore levels began to drop and water became scarce during the peak of summer. Fast forward to the next season; my patient wife was putting up with an assortment of oddlyshaped test containers and watering devices scattered around the garden as the idea began to take root and evolve.

Being immersed in the orchard and vineyard soil moisture scene and observing the struggles orchards and vineyards had with replacement trees and vines, it was a natural transition to apply the concept to commercial horticulture.

Many seasons, tests, experiments, and minor breakthroughs later we had developed a unit that saves water, protects the tree and soil, increases tree and vine survival and early growth, fits in with the orchards daily practices, and works in conjunction with the existing irrigation system and irrigation scheduling.

How long has it taken you to develop it?

We have been working on H2Ortigator for about six years. The pace has picked up in the last few seasons due to larger scale commercial trials and offering a commercial service for the 2022 season.

What area of your knowledge has grown most in this process?

How long the path from concept to commercial product is. Each step along the way takes a significant amount of time and resources, particularly when you are dealing with seasonal growing and only get a chance to field test and gather data for a short period each year.

We are most proud that we have designed something to look after the little guys! Replacement trees and vines get a rough deal when they are placed into a mature orchard or vineyard.

gives them not only a fighting chance, but helps create strong, healthy, resilient trees and vines using less water and staff time.

Who has been involved with the development?

H2Ortigator has been developed primarily by myself and my wife Hayley. Trial orchards and vineyards had significant input, which has been invaluable and assisted with the final product design.

A much­appreciated Callaghan Innovation project grant allowed us to scale up prototyping and field trials across a larger number of crops and regions. Our manufacturer, ES Plastics in Hamilton, provided expertise in design and production.

Have you had experiences that made you want to develop something that had efficient water use?

Water is one of the most important resources we have. Hawke’s Bay has seen its fair share of dry (and wet!) seasons in recent years. I have observed the effects of restricted water consents, irrigation bore columns that won’t prime because levels are too low, and the

After receiving their award at the 2022 IrrigationNZ Awards Evening: James Gardner (National Farm Sustainability Manager Ballance Agri-Nutrients), Brendan Hamilton (H2Ortigator), Keri Johnston (IrrigationNZ Chair), and Hayley Hamilton (H2Ortigator).

devastating effects that this can have on the fruit and vegetables which growers work so hard to produce.

During summer’s peak, in orchards and vineyards I would too often see the depressing sight of young replacement trees and vines suffering water stress. Those that survived were often stressed and stunted, doomed to underperform, and never reached full potential amidst their mature counterparts.

Many things conspire against a replacement tree in a mature orchard but the most significant is ineffective irrigation. In a mature orchard using micro sprinklers, up to 90 percent of the applied irrigation can fall outside the small rootzone and cannot be used by the young replacement tree. This means wasted water and poor growth. And so began H2Ortigator’s transition into commercial horticulture.

Is H2Ortigator used in orchards?

Yes. 2022 is the first commercial season for H2Ortigator. We have units in apple, kiwifruit and avocado orchards and vineyards throughout Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, and Bay of Plenty.

There are also ongoing trials in orchards and vineyards that have been running for a number of seasons.

What are you most proud of regarding the system you have developed?

We are most proud that we have designed something to look after the little guys! Replacement trees and vines get a rough deal when they are placed into a mature orchard or vineyard. H2Ortigator gives them not only a fighting chance, but helps create strong, healthy, resilient trees and vines using less water and staff time. We are also proud of the fact H2Ortigator has been designed and manufactured in New Zealand.

What are your future plans/goals?

Spreading the H2Ortigator word! We want to expand and to trial in other high value horticultural crops. There are a few more developments on the cards for H2Ortigator including a low­rate, long duration fertigation unit that will allow tailored nutrients to be applied to each tree or vine. We are also working on a project to incorporate further recycled plastic into the units.

2022 Innovation in Irrigation Award Finalists

ROBINSON SDI

Gary and Penny Robinson came across the dripline technology while visiting the World Ag Expo in the USA. The Robinsons saw the longevity in the system and they wanted to bring the technology back to New Zealand and see if it worked in New Zealand farming systems.

Drip irrigation is an efficient water and nutrient delivery system for growing crops. It delivers water and nutrients directly to the plant’s rootzone, in the right amounts, at the right time, so each plant gets exactly what it needs, when it needs it, for optimal growth. Water and nutrients are delivered across the field in pipes called drip lines, which feature small units known as drippers. Each dripper emits drops containing water and fertiliser, resulting in the uniform application of water and nutrients directly to each plant’s rootzone, across an entire field. After trialling a subsurface irrigation system last summer on part of their 160­hectare lease block, Robinson SDI are collecting data to compare with traditional irrigation systems in order to back up their observations with evidence­based results.

The couple is participating in a six­month farming project which examines how the next generation of farmers use innovative approaches to improve their practices. Waimakariri Landcare Trust (WLT) and Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL) have partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for the project, with support from MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, along with Environment Canterbury, Ballance, and DairyNZ. EMRGY

EMRGY

Emrgy’s innovative micro hydropower turbines have been specifically designed for use in irrigation races. They can assist irrigation schemes to tap into an unused energy resource to reduce grid energy reliance and lower electricity expenditure, while meeting environmental targets. The first turbines are already deployed as a pilot at Morven Glenavy Irrigation Scheme.