Indo-Israel Avocado Fertigation Course

This foundational module focuses on the critical first step in avocado cultivation: selecting a suitable plot. It covers the essential soil and water characteristics that determine the success of an orchard and provides guidance on conducting an initial site assessment.

• Soil characteristics: We cover topics like Soil texture, water drainage and soil chemistry.
• Water characteristics: We also cover water requirements and quality of the irrigated water.
• Soil survey: This module provides a practical guide for farmers on how to assess a potential plot before planting. It also gives step by step instructions on how to take soil samples for interpreting a pre planting soil report.

Learning outcomes: You will be able to make an informed decision about the plot's suitability for avocado farming.

This module provides a comprehensive overview of the essential nutrients avocado needs to thrive, and how to visually identify signs of nutritional distress. We cover the Macro, Secondary and the important Micro nutrients.

• Macro Nutrients: We cover why Nitrogen is required for vegetative growth, Phosphorus for root growth & flowering and Potassium for fruit size and quality and the consequences of both deficiency and excess will be explained. Both in the lecture and the notes we have shared pictures to help you identify the causes of irregular physiological symptoms.
• Secondary Nutrients: Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur, while required in moderate amounts, are still important to include in your fertigation plan in case your soil tests show deficiencies. We explain why these nutrients are important and how to identify excess or deficiencies through leaf reading.
• The Micronutrients: This lesson focuses on the micronutrients, which are needed in small amounts but are equally critical for tree health and yield. We primarily cover Boron, Zinc, Iron, Manganese & Copper.
• Nutrient Mobility: We also cover the concept of mobile vs. immobile nutrients and how this determines whether symptoms appear on old or young leaves.

Learning outcomes: Leaf reading and understanding the cause of excess or deficient nutrients in your avocado orchard. We understand the limitations of visual diagnosis; therefore, we have touched on the topic of leaf test analysis in this module as well.

We will learn how to take soil samples and interpret soil tests. Please note: this is slightly different from the initial soil survey we covered in Module 1. We cover why it is important to test your soil texture, soil salinity and soil fertility.

• Leaf Tests & Analysis We will also learn how to take leaf samples and interpret leaf tissue test results. We also glance over the cutting-edge technology of leaf sap analysis and how to read them.
• Periodic Testing How periodic testing helps track changes in soil pH, salinity (EC), and organic matter over time. The examples shared will help you understand why data driven decisions can lead to a more sustainable way of producing avocados.

Learning Outcomes: How to do soil and leaf tests and how to interpret them. Why periodic testing is mandatory.

This module introduces the concept of fertigation, explaining how it works, its benefits over traditional methods, and how to select the right fertilizers that do not clog the irrigation system.

• Advantages over traditional fertilisation: We discuss why fertigation is far superior to traditional broadcasting and foliar sprays. We demonstrate how fertigation allows - For a more precise delivery of nutrients to the avocado plants. Timing control to match the requirements of the avocado plants. Can lead to cost savings since it is less labour intensive. Can lead to disease protection.
  
• 2 Methods of Fertigation: We discuss the two main methods o fertigation, Quantitative fertigation and Proportional fertigation and share the pros and cons of each.
  
• Fertilizer solubility & compatibility: We also cover the topic of water solubility of fertilisers and how to test compatibility with a jar test.

Learning outcomes: Understanding the concept of fertigation and what equipment is needed for precision fertigation.

This module provides practical, step-by-step guidance on the hardware of a simple fertigation system and how to run it safely and effectively.

• Equipment
  This lesson will demystify the equipment needed, focusing on cost-effective options for small to medium-sized farms. It will cover the function of the fertilizer tank, injection devices (like Venturi injectors), and essential
  filters.
• System operation guide
  A practical guide to running a fertigation cycle, including preparing the
  stock solution, starting the system, injecting the fertilizer, and flushing the
  lines. This lesson will heavily emphasize safety protocols.
• System Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  This lesson will cover the regular maintenance required to keep the system running smoothly, such as cleaning filters and flushing lines. It will also provide a troubleshooting guide for common problems like clogged emitters and uneven fertilizer distribution.

 Learning outcomes: You will learn how to use a fertigation system.

This module provides details about an automated fertigation system. This is
applicable for those who are planning a large-scale avocado orchard where
the sheer scale of operations requires automatic precision fertigation system.

We walk you through Harshit's automated fertigation system. We demonstrate the different components, features and benefits. Then we also show how the
entire fertigation system can be managed through a phone.

We do an app-walkthrough and show how to use the Phyfarm fertigation app
to control all the settings through the phone. This is not a paid promotion, yet.
We like the product Naveen (founder Phyfarm) has created.

Learning outcomes - Glimpse into an automated fertigation system and how
to use it.

This module integrates all the preceding information to guide farmers in creating
and managing a personalized, data-driven fertigation schedule. This module will
cover how soil test, leaf test, water test, crop requirements and yield affect
your fertigation schedule. We have shared case studies of Harshit's farm as an
example.

Content covered -

• Ideal NPK ratios: Ideal ratios of NPK fertilisers are revealed according to
  the age of plant.
• Nutrient Timing We share how a uniform ratio throughout the year is not a good strategy and discuss the NPK needs of the plant according to the phenological stage.
• Case studies We use Harshit's farm as an example and share 3 case studies. We learn how to create the fertigation plan for 3 subsequent years. Calculating the amount of fertiliser needed The values in the fertigation plan are in elemental form. We then calculate what fertilisers are needed and in what quantity to fulfil the needs of the avocado orchard.
• Secondary & Micro Nutrients We share the quantity required for secondary and micro nutrients in case there is a deficiency. Cost of fertilisers Lastly, we share the costs involved in precise avocado fertigation.

Learning outcomes: You will learn how to create a fertigation plan.