Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO), Agrico and Yara International ASA (Norway) jointly conducted a “Greenhouse Fertigation” workshop for 20 experienced agronomists and farm managers from Qatar on April 10, 2019 at the Hydroponic Trial and Demonstration Center in Al Khor. This workshop was one of the initiatives of the Cooperation Agreement that the parties recently signed on the 15th of October 2018.
The Trial and Demonstration Center occupies an area of more than 4,000 square meters. Its purpose is to develop and demonstrate the most sustainable crop management systems suitable for Qatar to the local farming community.
The workshop covered theoretical and practical aspects of fertigation management for hydroponic systems which are becoming more popular in Qatar for growing vegetables. Fertigation is a method of application of required nutrients through irrigation systems. The participants of the workshop had a chance to deepen their knowledge of different types of fertilizers, differences in fertigation and foliar application of fertilizers. Several theoretical problems were solved to demonstrate the importance of usage of wide range of nutrients in order to maximize production. Different dosing equipment were studied to demonstrate advantages of precise application of fertilizers for maximum productivity of crops. A demonstration was also conducted on using simple online software such as www.myyara.com to calculate recipes of fertilizer solution for different crops and growing stages. The workshop concluded with a tour around The Trial and Demonstration center that currently produces tomatoes and cucumbers.
The workshop was conducted by Tore Frogner, Calcinit Product Manager from Yara Norway and Carol Khadra, Agronomist from Yara Middle East.
