TOOL TIME
Haifa online services and mobile apps BY SAM GRUBIŠA INDUSTRY EXTENSION OFFICER, VEGETABLESWA
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hile I do not promote any one company or service over another, sometimes ‘tools’ come across my desk that are too good to keep to myself. Haifa’s — My Tools is one of these. With a focus on optimal fertiliser application, an article on NutriNet was what drew me onto the Haifa website. An exclusively web operated fertigation and irrigation programming tool, its aim is to aid in correct crop nutrition, growth and irrigation. The main features are: • Crop nutritional requirements — The database includes nutritional data for 80 common crops • Expected yield — To help predict future input usage and profits • Growth conditions — The software considers growth in open field, tunnels and greenhouses • Soil data — Entering more precise soil details generates a more finely tuned program output • Climate conditions — Uses a large variety of worldwide meteorological stations to provide a wealth of climactic data • Irrigation schedule — Offers irrigation programs based on crop water requirements, soil type, climactic conditions and type of irrigation equipment.
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WA Grower WINTER 2019
33DEFICIENCY Pro assists in identification of possible nutritional deficiencies in your crop
The added bonus is it is free! Also, being able to store your fertigation programs from different growth stages, in one place, will aid in yearly budgeting. It similarly allows you and your Agronomist to review the previous years inputs, to assess seasonal needs and integrate them with real time, on farm soil/water analysis. In addition to the NutriNet program the website also offers: • Deficiency Pro — An image library to assist in identification of possible nutritional deficiencies in your crop • FoliMatch — A foliar feeding mobile app to aid in correct calculations of recommended crop specific foliar sprays • FertiMatch — A mobile app that helps determine fertigation composition using input data like equipment control head, choice of
33FERTIMATCH™: Your assistant in fertigation calculations.
reference elements and fertilisers in use. This is just one of many online tools available to bolster your neverending quest for optimal nutrition, yield and input budgeting. It is worth searching around on the net, just to inform yourself of what is out there in the world of online/app assistance. I would suggest speaking with your Agronomist or a trusted plant nutrition specialist before implementing any new programs. Computer software is intelligent, adaptable and makes life easy, however it is no substitute for dirty hands and the human eye. MORE INFORMATION www.haifa-group.com