ABSTRACT
Effi cient use of water in any irrigation system is becoming important particularly in arid and semiarid regions, where water is a scarce commodity. There are specifi c problems in the management of sandy, namely: the excessive permeability, low water and nutrient holding capacities. Therefore, the proper management is helpful not only in the use of irrigation water but also in sandy soil amelioration efforts. Fertilizers suitable for fertigation are: technical grade salts (e.g., potassium sulfate), acids (e.g., nitric acid), bases (e.g., potassium hydroxide), polymers (e.g., polyphosphate) or chelates (e.g., iron EDTA). They are injected into the irrigation water already in solution (i.e., predissolved in water). Hochmuth [8] reported that maximum fertigation effi ciency requires knowledge of crop nutrient requirements during different growth periods, soil nutrient supply, chemigation technology, irrigation scheduling, crop and soil monitoring techniques. If properly managed, fertigation through drip irrigation can reduce overall fertilizer application rates and minimize adverse environmental impacts [14]. Locascio and Smajstrala [12] stated that fertigation increased crop yield compared to the fertilizer applied just before planting.
