[ENG] Water Recirculation in Soilless Cultivation: The Next Step Towards Greater Efficiency

In modern soilless cultivation, water efficiency is no longer simply about delivering the right amount of water at the right time.

The next step is understanding what happens afterwards.

In hydroponic and soilless systems, part of the nutrient solution supplied to plants can become drainage water. This solution still contains water and nutrients, but it can also provide valuable information about the conditions within the crop.

Recovering, analysing and, when appropriate, reusing drainage water means turning what could be considered waste into a resource.

This is the principle behind water recirculation in soilless cultivation, a technology that is becoming increasingly relevant in modern irrigation and fertigation systems.

From Irrigation to Water Recirculation

Traditionally, irrigation efficiency was mainly assessed by considering how much water was supplied to the crop.

Today, the concept is broader.

In a soilless production system, every litre can be followed throughout the entire process: from the initial water source to the nutrient solution, from the substrate to drainage, and finally to potential recovery and reuse.

This makes it possible to move from a linear approach towards a more circular management of water resources.

The objective is therefore not simply to irrigate more efficiently, but to manage water within a controlled production system, reducing losses while monitoring the nutrient solution.

For crops such as strawberries, blueberries and other berries, where irrigation and fertigation play a central role, this approach can be particularly relevant.

Drainage Water: From Waste to Resource

One of the most important aspects of hydroponic water recirculation is changing the way drainage is perceived.

The solution leaving the substrate is not simply water to be discarded.

It can provide information about the amount of water actually used by the plant and the balance of the nutrient solution in the root zone.

Collecting drainage water therefore makes it possible to monitor parameters such as pH and electrical conductivity, providing useful information for crop management.

Drainage consequently becomes a monitoring tool as well.

Famidan develops systems for drainage collection and drainage water recirculation, with solutions designed to help manage the quality of the recovered solution through the monitoring and adjustment of key parameters.

Reducing Water and Nutrient Losses

The most immediate advantage of water recirculation concerns water use.

Recovering part of the drainage water can reduce losses and decrease the need to continuously introduce new water into the production system.

But the benefit is not limited to water.

More efficient drainage management can also help reduce the loss of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Famidan identifies reduced nutrient leaching among the benefits of its recirculation systems.

For growers, this means working towards greater efficiency in the use of production inputs. From an environmental perspective, it means reducing the loss of water and nutrients.

The Importance of Water Quality

Closing the water cycle, however, is not simply a matter of collecting drainage.

Recovered water needs to be properly managed before it can potentially be reused.

Filtration, parameter monitoring, potential disinfection and solution adjustment therefore become important components of the system.

Water quality must be controlled throughout the process because imbalances can directly affect the root zone.

Famidan integrates irrigation, fertigation, filtration, water treatment and hydroponic management solutions, allowing different technologies to work together within the same production system.

Recirculation and Precision Fertigation

Drainage water recovery becomes even more valuable when integrated with precise fertigation management.

The objective is not simply to recover water, but to understand its composition and determine how it can potentially be reused.

Monitoring pH, electrical conductivity and other parameters makes it possible to adjust the solution before a new irrigation cycle.

Water recirculation therefore becomes part of a broader nutrient-management strategy.

Water is no longer viewed simply as a medium for delivering fertilisers, but as a component of the production system that needs to be continuously monitored and managed.

Data and Monitoring for More Precise Management

Technology makes it possible to take another step forward.

Monitoring water, substrate, environmental conditions and crops provides a clearer picture of what is happening within the production system and supports more precise management decisions.

Famidan also integrates Agriculture 4.0 technologies into its solutions, including monitoring and data-management systems capable of providing real-time information, alerts and reports.

Data therefore becomes an essential tool for improving water management.

The question is no longer simply how much water is delivered, but how much is absorbed, how much becomes drainage and how much can potentially be recovered.

Towards a Circular Water Management System

Applying the concept of circular economy to agriculture means designing systems in which resources are used as efficiently as possible and, whenever conditions allow, recovered and put back to productive use.

Soilless cultivation is particularly suited to this approach because it allows growers to control the movement of water more directly.

Water is delivered to the crop, passes through the substrate, is collected as drainage, analysed and, when appropriate, reused.

This creates a cycle in which irrigation, fertigation, filtration, monitoring and recirculation become components of a single system.

Famidan: Technology for Water Management

With more than 35 years of experience in agriculture, Famidan develops solutions for irrigation, fertigation, hydroponics, water management, drainage recirculation and Agriculture 4.0.

Its approach reflects an increasingly important trend for the future of agricultural production: efficiency will not depend on a single technology, but on the ability to integrate several systems within the same production process.

For growers, this means greater control over resources, fewer losses and decisions supported by data.

For the environment, it means reducing waste and limiting the loss of water and nutrients.

The challenge of modern soilless cultivation is therefore not simply to produce more.

It is to make better use of the resources available.

And when water can be recovered, analysed and put back to work, the real step forward is to stop considering it simply as an input and recognise it as an integral part of the production cycle.

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