Resource use, labour and energy costs are hot topics nowadays. Growers are more often looking for solutions to reduce the amounts of water and labour necessary for watering and to reduce the energy and nutrients requirements for the growth of plants. For more than 20 years Soleno Textiles, a division of Soleno Inc, a Canadian manufacturer of polyethylene pipes, is working on finding solutions to these challenges. With their Aquamatsystem, a range of horticultural irrigation systems, they aim to meet the growers' needs. The first products they put on the market were the Aquamat and Aquathermat, which are still their bestsellers.
8 years of research
It started in 1991 with Jean Caron Ph.D, researcher from Université Laval, Quebec, Canada, explains Daniel Nadeau, Business Development Manager at the company. "His main objectives were to develop an efficient capillary mat system in order to reduce production costs in greenhouses and nurseries as well as protecting the environment by saving water and fertilizer consumption. Fundamental research on multi-layers capillary mat was the real beginning of Jean Caron project. The second step was to do some in vivo trials at Université Laval in 1994-1995. From these results, some modifications and trials were made on the mat between 1995 and 1998 and finalize the Aquamat in 2001. The Aquathermat came on the market in 2007 to improve propagation success, time as well as reducing heating cost in greenhouses."
Aquamat system products are available throughout North America and in more than 50 states. Below, more information on these two systems and the reasons why a grower should opt for these systems.
Aquamat - Irrigation and water conservation system
The Aquamat irrigating capillary mat has been specially designed for the cultivation of container plants, explains Nadeau. "Contrary to conventional irrigation systems that can result in up to 80% water loss (too fast drainage or loss between plant spaces), Aquamat allows water to be captured and stored inside the capillary mat. Custom-made for each production run, it provides many advantages to increase the overall performance of your operations while reducing your impact on the environment. Get a technology adapted to your situation, ready to install."
Why choosing it:
So when using the Aquamat system, what are the benefits? Nadeau mentions the following three:
- Saves up to 92% in labour cost
Our irrigation solutions are permissible and facilitate daily operations. Your staff will be able to move freely on the capillary mat and use the necessary equipment, to harvest the plants without fear of disturbing the drip system. - Reduce 70% in water and fertilizer use
Our irrigation system naturally optimize the use of resources, unlike most irrigation systems that can result in up to 70% water loss. - Optimization of performance
With our Aquamat irrigation system, our customers achieve a return on investment within 6 to 18 months, depending on the type of production. By optimizing resources, you will see a faster growth of plants, due to the absence of water stress, and a decrease in diseases and leaf spots.
Aquathermat - Root Zone Heating and irrigation System
Aquathermat is a solution that combines both an irrigation system and a root heating system. "It is the best solution to substantially improve your results in propagation of cuttings, seedlings, plant forcing and to shorten the production cycle. The results of various research studies demonstrate the positive impact of heating the substrate. By comparing plants produced on a normal table to those produced on Aquathermat, it is shown that root and foliar development is clearly superior in plants grown on heated capillary mats. The combination of heating and irrigation makes it a unique product that saves energy while increasing the number of plants that can be marketed in a shorter period of time.
Why choosing it:
When using the Aquathermat irrigation system, Daneay points out the following two benefits:
- Reduce 45% of heating costs
With conventional irrigation systems, the ambient air must constantly be heated to ensure ideal growing conditions for the young plants. By opting for our system that combines irrigation and root heating, the heat goes directly under the containers. The ambient air temperature can thus be set by up to 12 degrees lower than the usual temperature. - Reduction of cycle time
The irrigation and root heating system allow a significant reduction in the production cycle since the heat is distributed directly to the roots, resulting in a significant gain in root mass. The perfectly uniform heat combined with the ideal humidity results in a very fast rooting and a recovery rate of almost 100%.
New website
Recently, Soleno Textile launched a new website for they Aquamat System products. Click here to visit the brand new website.
Aquamatsystem offers us today a new website under a completely new identity: “Efficient Irrigation. Forward thinking.” Discover it now at: www.aquamatsystem.com
For more information:
Soleno Textile
Daniel Nadeau
Email: dnadeau@soleno.com
T 514-835-8646
www.aquamatsystem.com