Fruitfed Supplies Irrigation team: What we do

See a selection of current case studies.
 

The design engineers also act as project managers, taking responsibility for providing quotes, detailing the contract with the client, ordering products from suppliers for each project, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and oversee the system installation with either our own team of experienced installers or local contractors. 
 

Our work speaks for itself in the following case studies: horticultural, fertigation, frost fighting, agricultural, water source tapping or amenity options.

 

 

Horticultural irrigation case studies

Irrigation solutions for apples and pears, citrus, flowers, grapes, kiwifruit, onions, potatoes, squash, stonefruit and tomatoes

CASE STUDY 1

Mr Apple Henderson Block, orchard irrigation design and install project, Hawke's Bay
Design Engineer: Andrew Elder, Fruitfed Supplies, Hastings
 

100mm galvanised steel headworks, Mr Apple Blyth Orchard, Henderson Block Existing artesian bore to be used, maximising the available flow-rate so some assistance can be added to frost fighting Water meter with pulse output used to monitor the volumes of irrigation applied with a computerised controller	Hanging micro-sprinklers used to get them off the ground and out of the way of orchard activities Sprinkler type carefully chosen using computer distribution analysis to target the water at the root system of the dwarf apple trees	Upside-down Netafim Gyronet microsprinkler with spring loaded swivel to keep out spiders Flat trajectory swivel to keep water close-in to trees for confined roots of dwarf apples

    
See www.mrapple.co.nz for more information.

CASE STUDY 2
Vineyard irrigation for Morton Estate, Awatere Valley, Marlborough

Fruitfed Supplies Blenheim field technician Chris Highman (left) and Morton Estate vineyard manager Paul McIntyre commission a new booster pump, Awatere Valley, Marlborough; installed January 2008 85 HP John Deere: 85m3/hour @ 60 metres	80mm valve assembly, Morton Estate Vineyard, Awatere Valley, Marlborough; installed November 2007
Morton Estate Vineyard new development, Awatere Valley, Marlborough; installed November 2007	Main irrigation pump for Morton Estate Vineyard, Awatere Valley, Marlborough; installed December 2006 180 HP John Deere: 360m3/hour @ 1100 meter

CASE STUDY 3
T-tape drip irrigation for onion seed crop
 

Onion seed crop grower Richard Kershaw (L) with Richard Shuker, design engineer at Fruitfed Supplies Hastings

Crop: onion seed Requirements: water is a key management tool to maximise weight of seed harvested   Irrigation solution supplied: " T-tape buried before Onions bulbs are moulded " Pressure-regulating valve filtration unit " Fertigation injection unit Advantages: " uniform water distribution in root zone " no surface water reduces weed infestation " less water used as not evaporating from surface

 

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Fertigation system case studies

Fertigation solutions for apples and pears, citrus, cucurbits, flowers, grapes, kiwifruit, onions, potatoes, squash, stonefruit and tomatoes

CASE STUDY 1
Grape fertigation system design and install project, Islayburn Vineyard, Awatere Valley, Marlborough
This system allows soluble fertilisers to be injected into the irrigation line, at the same time as irrigation occurs. The pumps can be set to inject the required amount through. The vineyard is 70 hectares.

Fruitfed Supplies Blenheim field technician Chris Highman sets dosing rates on new fertigation pumps installed January 2008	The 3000 litre fertigation agitation tanks  at Islayburn Vineyard installed January 2008

   

CASE STUDY 2
Seedling propagation nursery fertigation system, Conning Nurseries, Nelson
With 98% uniformity across all vegetable seedling trays, inside and out, the vegetable seedling propagation operation of Rob Conning in Nelson has seen the clear benefits of installing a Netafim Netajet inline dosing system as part of an irrigation / fertigation system upgrade. Several

The easily-programmed Netajet inline dosing controller features several channels to allow soluble fertilisers to be added according to specific grower-defined measurements, such as pH, EC, product volume, time of application or ratio of product vs. water volume.	The even development of vegetable seedlings is clearly with the consistent colour and size generated through the efficient and effective application of fertigated nutrients and water. Improved seedling quality leads to better transplanting and improved quality of the final crop.

   

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Case studies of frost fighting with water

Reducing the effect of frost on apple, grape and kiwifruit crops

CASE STUDY 1
Frost fighting for Katikati kiwifruit
The kiwifruit grower required a frost fighting system for three orchard blocks of approx. four hectares using water. The design objective was to fight a -3 degree frost by a four-pulse system. The system on each block uses the Nelson R10 sprinkler and the Netafim Supernet sprinkler. The sprinklers are different due to the varying spacing of the orchards' pergolas and so the system was designed for maximum uniformity with the best sprinkler.

The bore is supplies 70m³/hr. With 540m³ stored in the water tanks and the bore filling the tanks, the system is sufficient for an eight hour cycle with 30m³/hr going into the each orchard with four valves each, pulsed every minute. A pulsing system was employed so that the orchardist did not have to store more water. If the frost fighting was for the whole area at once on one orchard only, they would need 960m³ of storage or 32 water tanks.

The bore pump can be seen on the right with a Hydrocyclone and three Arkal disc filters supplying 18 x 30m³ water tanks for frost fighting. Inside the pump shed, three pumps supplying to the three different orchards, each managed by a Irritrol controllers.	12 of the 18 x 30m³ water storage tanks can be seen here. These supply two of the three orchards with Nelson R10's (170L/h) and Netafim Supernet sprinklers (58L/h)

   

CASE STUDY 2
Over-head sprinklers for frost fighting

Crop: grapes Requirements: to prevent frost damage to just-emerging vine growth Solution: " Determine level of frost against which protection is needed " Calculate volume of water required over block " Suitable sprinkler type chosen using computer distribution analysis to minimise application rate variance over the target area but still fit sprinkler spacing in with existing post spacings Advantages: " System also able to apply early irrigation water to promote rapid growth " Overhead water frost fighting can be used to protect against frosts lower than heaters or windmills by using a sufficient application rate " Works in all types of frosts; no need for inversion layer as for windmills " Can be more economic than windmills for small areas, if water is available in sufficient quantity

 

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 Agricultural irrigation case study

Effective irrigation solutions for pasture and broadacre crops

CASE STUDY 1
 

K-Line irrigation system Installed in February 2008 on a Marlborough dairy unit, the K-Line irrigation system is watering 15-20 times more area as the original system which was an old aluminium pipe system in eight metre lengths, which needed to be disassembled each time it needed to be moved. The old system required two people to move it 15m across the paddock every rotation, whereas the K-line system can be moved with one person and a quad bike. The system is powered by an 80hp diesel motor and pump and uses 40litres of diesel over a 24 hour period.

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Case study for water source tapping

Utilising sustainable natural water sources for agriculture, horticulture and residential situations

CASE STUDY 1
Water source for stock

Fruitfed Supplies Hastings' irrigation installation specialists Brian Burns and Todd McCormick tap a hillside spring identified by design engineer Richard Shuker

Requirements: to access a reliable source of quality water for stock drinking water. Solution supplied: " Expertise of Fruitfed Supplies design engineer to identify hillside spring; " Provide method of collection to obtain best water quality. Advantages: " Utilises sustainable, reliable on-farm water resource; " Gravity supply gives cost and operating saving; " Water Rams or turbine pumps can be added to boost the system.

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Irrigation options for community amenities and sports fields

Keeping sports and amenity turf and gardens in top condition

CASE STUDY 1
Amenity irrigation
Project location: Jubilee Park, Richmond, Nelson
Client: Tasman District Council
Irrigation engineer: Bill Lucre, Fruitfed Supplies Richmond

The project utilises Hunter pop up sprinklers to irrigate 12ha of sports fields, replacing a travelling irrigator. Council staff are thrilled with the efficiency of the scheme, saying it uses water more efficiently and reduces labour with the inclusion of an automated controller.

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