“At times, it was touch and go whether we would have enough water”
Source: HD.com
Up to 50 per cent drop in endive volumes at Dirk Declercq’s farm “At times, it was touch and go whether we would have enough water” Curly endive cultivation has suffered severely this summer due to the extreme weather conditions. Prolonged heat, high evaporation rates, and increased water requirements led to a sharp decline in both quality and harvest yields.
For grower and REO chairman Dirk Declercq, who has specialised exclusively in curly endive cultivation since 1993, it was a season unlike any he had experienced before. We're modern growers and greenhouse horticulture is at a high standard, but nature remains in control.
Whereas we normally have a much higher percentage of harvestable heads, at certain times we were down to just 40 to 50 per cent." Watering every day The extreme temperatures not only caused quality issues but, according to Dirk, also put enormous pressure on the water supply. Demand was 25 to 30 per cent higher than normal, whilst we were able to produce less due to the circumstances." © Dirk Declercq Furthermore, the fixed contracts meant that not all the extra revenue went to the grower.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
