Creating 38% less drain water in strawberries
Source: HD.com
In 2023, Proefcentrum Hoogstraten (PCH) ran a full-season trial with Sigrow Soil Mini substrate sensors to find out whether sensor-driven irrigation could reduce drain water on a Mini-Air tabletop system with free drainage. By using continuous substrate moisture and EC data to steer irrigation in the second half of the season, PCH cut overall water use by 19.5% (from 520 to 419 L/m²) and reduced drain water by 38% (from 189 to 118 L/m²) — all without any loss in yield, fruit size, firmness, Brix, or shelf life.
Why the traditional approach leaves water on the table In standard strawberry fertigation, growers dose nutrients at low EC (typically 1.1–1.5 mS/cm) with every drip cycle, then steer the volume of water and the chosen drip EC using two numbers read at the drain: the drain percentage and the drain EC. Goals & objectives PCH designed the 2023 trial to answer a specific set of questions: whether substrate sensors could give growers enough confidence to safely reduce drain water on tabletop systems; what moisture and EC thresholds represent safe limits before the crop suffers; whether sensor-driven irrigation could maintain or improve fruit yield, size, and quality; and whether the approach could work with an everbearing variety like Karima, which is more sensitive to irrigation swings than June-bearers.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a direct irrigation-management signal. The article shows that root-zone sensing can materially reduce water loss on free-drain systems while maintaining yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing a control lever instead of a dashboard ornament.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is free-drain strawberry production such a water challenge?
Because any runoff that leaves the system is usually gone for good, so poor irrigation timing turns directly into wasted water and nutrient loss.
What is the real takeaway from the trial?
Direct substrate measurements gave the team enough confidence to reduce drain while holding yield and quality steady, which is exactly the kind of practical threshold knowledge growers can apply.
