Solar irrigator is tested in a sugarcane bed on an Apta farm

Intended for vegetable gardens and gardens, initially, the solar irrigator begins to be tested from 05/07 on a bed of sugarcane seedlings on the experimental farm of the Jaú Research and Development Unit “Hélio de Moraes” ( UPD) of the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency (Apta).

The installation takes place one month after Embrapa Instrumentação (São Carlos – SP) also installed social technologies at the UPD - a biodigester septic tank and a filtering garden.
Aimed at rural producers, students and the interested public, the field day is scheduled to start at 8 am. Researcher Washington Luiz de Barros Melo, responsible for developing the solar irrigator, will talk about the research and benefits of the technology at 10:15 am, right after the talk by UPD researcher from Jaú, Glauber José de Castro Gava, on conventional irrigation.
The assembly of the solar irrigator will take place at 12:30 pm, and the installation of the system in the sugarcane bed is scheduled for 14:15 pm. “It is the first time that we are installing a solar irrigator in this type of crop, but the expectation is that the technology will be as efficient as it is for vegetable gardens and gardens”, says the researcher.
The installation of Embrapa Instrumentação's social technologies is part of the readjustment plan for the DNA Meeting – Developing Our Business, which was held at the Agricultural Cooperative of Zona do Jahu and is now
from this fourth edition, to the experimental farm of Apta, a research unit of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo. The meeting will be from September 13th to 15th.
According to the head of the UPD technical section, Gabriela Aferri, the change occurs in order to expand the space and include new activities associated with the exhibition of materials and technologies, such as sanitation and irrigation that will be demonstrated at the DNA Meeting.
“The installation of the systems – septic tank, biodigestor, filter garden and solar irrigator – should contribute to making the experimental farm a technological showcase, with the transfer of knowledge to visitors”,
says Gabriela.

solar sprinkler

The irrigator is automatic, does not use electricity and can also be made with used materials. The technology could help small producers and amateur gardeners keep their beds irrigated using the drip method.
The equipment is based on a simple principle of thermodynamics: air expands when heated. Melo took advantage of this property to use air as a pump that presses water for irrigation.
The advantages of the homemade irrigator are several, as listed by the researcher. It is an automatic system without photocells and does not require electricity, as it depends only on sunlight, making its
extremely economical operation. It also saves water, as it uses the drip method to irrigate, which avoids wasting the resource.
"In addition, it is possible to build it with objects that would otherwise be thrown in the trash, such as plastic, metal or glass bottles and containers", recalls the expert.
The versatility of the equipment is also great. The dripping intensity can be regulated through the height of the dripper and the producer can add nutrients or other inputs to the water in the reservoir.
to optimize irrigation.