Turnkey Subsurface irrigation Fully Automated subsurface drip Irrigation

A 398-hectare subsurface drip irrigation project, commissioned in 2022, brought cutting-edge automation and engineering to open-field farming in Ukraine. Designed across eight irregular fields, the system integrates advanced pumping, filtration, fertigation, and control technologies—delivering efficient, long-term irrigation performance once reserved for greenhouses, now applied to corn and soy.

Location: Ukraine

Project Size: 398 ha

Crop: Soy beans

Irrigation Type: Drip Irrigation

How We Made It Happen

Challenge

The project required delivering uniform subsurface irrigation across eight irregularly shaped fields, totalling nearly 400 hectares. Key challenges included:
• Managing water transport over long distances, including a 1.4 km span to the most remote plots.
• Ensuring stable filtration and precise fertigation under demanding flow conditions.
• Installing a reliable pumping system drawing water from a shallow open reservoir with only 1.5 meters of depth.
• Achieving full automation in an open-field context, where such levels of control are typically confined to protected agriculture.

Resolution

Metzer delivered a turnkey solution integrating world-class technologies into a fully automated subsurface irrigation system. A central pumping station with five 75 kW pumps, controlled via frequency converters, ensures efficient water delivery. Filtration is handled by Amiad automatic mesh filters, with additional units installed near remote fields.
Fertigation is powered by automated plunger pumps and air-mixing systems, all managed from a single control room. The entire system—monitored by sensors, weather stations, and RTUs—is operated remotely via a Talgil controller and smartphone access. Water is distributed through PE pipes to ASSIF anti-siphon emitters dripline laterals, ensuring precise subsurface irrigation across all 398 hectares.

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Used in this Project

Ideal Irrigation Solution

Sub Surface Drip Irrigation

Experience precision-engineered irrigation that cuts water use, maximizes nutrient delivery, and drives smarter growth. Subsurface systems create cleaner, weed-free surfaces and optimize root zone conditions with minimal salinity. Advanced design reduces disease pressure, system wear, and routine maintenance. With fully buried infrastructure, SDI offers unmatched reliability—secure, efficient, and built for the future.

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Metzer’s Solutions