Lipman Family Farms wanted to mitigate flood risk associated with heavy rain on their 2,000-acre farm in Naples.
So, Lucas Conran, general manager, asked for help from his longtime friend, Sanjay Shukla, a University of Florida hydrologist, who had just developed his "compact-bed geometry," with state and federal funding, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"My working relationship with Dr. Shukla began about 10 years ago when he first had the idea to narrow and raise beds in our tomato production," Conran said. "By raising the beds, the initial idea was to get the root system higher than the water table. That way, if it rained heavily, we could protect the crop from possible flooding."
Shukla, left, talks with Conran as they examine compact soil beds. Photo: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS photography.
He's thankful for Shukla's help, which has resulted in what Lipman conservatively estimates is a 25 percent annual savings on water use since it started conducting trials with Shukla's input.
The idea for compact-bed geometry goes back to about 2005 when Shukla saw hurricanes causing significant wind and flood damage to Florida crops. With compact beds, Shukla reasoned he might be able to help growers prevent severe flooding.
Instead of planting crops on beds that were normally 6 to 8 inches high and about 3 feet across, he designed soil beds that are 10 inches to a foot high and 1 ½ to 2 feet across. Therefore, crops sit higher from the ground, and the soil bed takes less ground space.
As a result, compact soil beds reduce the amount of water, fumigants, and fertilizer needed to treat the crops, while maintaining or increasing yields. The design also results in less bending and stretching for field workers. If laborers are less tired, they can harvest more.
Compact soil beds, developed by UF/IFAS professor Sanjay Shukla. Photo: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS photography.
"I brought this compact-bed geometry as a proposed solution for water and overall sustainability -- both economic and environmental," said Shukla, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. "It's more of a holistic design. You make a better crop. You reduce your input and your cost, and you reduce your production risk, whether it's from some of the pests and diseases, hurricane wind damage, or flooding."
Crops that use compact-bed geometry grow on raised soil beds covered with plastic. The plastic mulch protects crops from pests and weeds, provides a warmer soil environment, and protects the fertilizer from being washed away, Shukla said.
"Good stewardship of our water, much like other resources, is critical because they're finite," Conran said. "We don't have infinite phosphorus or nitrogen in the world. So, reducing that need is huge."
For more information:
Brad Buck
UF/IFAS
Tel: +1 (656) 347-8422
bradbuck@ufl.edu
www.ifas.ufl.edu