Chemigation Guidelines for British Columbia

Chemigation is the term used to define the practice of applying chemicals to a crop through an irrigation system. In agriculture, the types of chemicals applied are generally fertilizers to promote crop production and plant growth.

Commodities such as tree fruits, vegetables, small fruits and berries, greenhouse and nursery use trickle irrigation systems to apply fertilizers directly to the plant roots.

In drier climates, such as the Okanagan, the utilization of fertigation techniques is the only viable method of applying fertilizers to crops using trickle irrigation systems.

The use of trickle irrigation systems and fertigation will continue to increase due to the many advantages offered by this technology. Better application efficiencies offer a reduction in the amount of fertilizer used, timely application of fertilizers and less impact on the environment.

• Chemigation Guidelines for British Columbia (PDF, 2.5 MB)