28.09.2026, 23:55
Kazakhstan Develops Smart Irrigation System for Agricultural Crops
The system regulates water supply based on the crop, its growth stage and soil moisture
Specialists from the Kazakh Research Institute of Agriculture and Plant Growing, which is part of the NANOС structure, have developed an irrigation management technology that makes it possible to regulate water supply according to the needs of a specific agricultural crop and its stage of development.
The development combines differentiated water supply regimes for various crops with a digital automated irrigation management system. Unlike irrigation based on a fixed schedule, the new technology determines the irrigation regime taking into account the type of crop, its stage of development, the depth of soil moisture and the required amount of water.
All necessary parameters are incorporated into the digital system, which manages the irrigation process.
The technological system includes sensors for monitoring soil and environmental conditions, a digital weather station, flow meters, pressure regulators and specialized software.
The system makes it possible to remotely control irrigation and fertilizer application according to a specified time or volume. It also provides the option of separately monitoring individual irrigation blocks.
The developed technology can operate using renewable energy sources. This makes it possible to use the system at sites where autonomous power supply for equipment is required.
The effectiveness of the development has been tested under field conditions on several agricultural crops.
When growing sugar beet at the experimental production site of the Nurzhan farm, the actual irrigation rate amounted to 3,278 m³/ha compared with the calculated rate of 4,850 m³/ha. As a result, water savings reached 1,572 m³/ha, or 32%. Sugar beet yields amounted to 1,190 centners per hectare.
The technology was also tested in soybean cultivation. In this case, the irrigation rate was 2,620 m³/ha compared with the calculated rate of 3,000 m³/ha. Water savings reached 380 m³/ha, or about 13%, while the yield amounted to 46.8 centners per hectare.
For grain corn, specialists developed irrigation regimes that take into account soil moisture and the plant's stage of development. With an irrigation rate of 4,500 m³/ha, the yield of the “Täuelsizdik 20 SV” hybrid reached 160.2 centners per hectare in some variants.
The research also covered rice cultivation. With drip irrigation, yields in some variants reached up to 46.1 centners per hectare.
The new technology is intended for agricultural enterprises and farms, as well as scientific and educational experimental organizations working in irrigated agriculture.
The development makes it possible to move away from the use of a fixed irrigation rate toward regulating water supply according to the actual needs of agricultural crops. This approach provides for more rational use of water resources while maintaining high crop productivity.
Specialists are currently continuing a comparative assessment of various irrigation methods and water consumption coefficients for agricultural crops.
The research is being conducted as part of the scientific and technical program of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024–2026.
