11.06.2025; Reading time: approx. 5 min; Author: Wolfgang Gerstenhauer

Today we ask and answer the cultural question regarding the irrigation of potato crops. Read on if you have potato fields or other arable or specialty crops that are at risk from the increasing drought.

Cultural issue:

Watering potatoes?

Is it worth irrigating potatoes using smart farming technology? What do, for example, the
FARMSENSE
 and the
FARMVALVE
 do in practice?

Potatoes are one of the most sensitive arable crops in terms of water stress. Even short periods of drought during tuber formation can affect yield and quality. The water requirement of potatoes is around
20-30 liters per square meter during the main growing season
.

Absolutely!

Manual irrigation is labor-intensive and expensive – especially at greater distances from the field and in larger fields. Comparatively inexpensive smart farming systems with sensors to determine soil moisture at root depth and irrigation valves that can be controlled remotely via a browser or app can ensure the plant health of potato crops in practice and thus yield security despite periods of drought and also lead to high cost savings compared to manual irrigation.

FARMSENSE & FARMVALVE enable data-supported, needs-based and remote-controlled irrigation

The farmunited system pays for itself from farm cultivation distances in the single-digit kilometer range and a few irrigation cycles per season. Ideally, it consists of an agricultural weather station with connected soil sensors plus rain sensor (e.g.
FARMSENSE PRO
) and a wireless, remote-controlled irrigation valve (e.g.
FARMVALVE
), which saves farmers many trips to the farm for manual irrigation in drought years.

Potato farmers can really save money with Smart Farming products:

Do you want to know how much you can save per season on your fields and crop removals with smart irrigation? Then use our
efficiency calculator
! The savings potential is high – even with farm-to-crop distances in the single-digit kilometer range. The investment in smart farming technology often pays for itself within the first year of use.

Smart irrigation can save over €2,000 per hectare in dry years

Smart farming technology stabilizes quality and yields, as practical data shows. As yields are reduced by around
30 %
 Smart Farming technology saves potatoes with an average yield of 450.2 tons per hectare (
according to BMEL 2024
) about 135.10 dt/ha.

At a market price of €16.20/dt, this corresponds to a value of: 2,187 €/ha.

So it is not a question of whether potato crops should be irrigated, but how!

Without smart farming system


  • 30 % yield losses during dry & also hot phases
     (without irrigation) as the example of Upper Palatinate 2022 shows; because
    Potatoes stop growing at temperatures above 27° C
  • with manual irrigation: up to 4 farmyard cultivation trips per irrigation cycle (= outward trip/switching on irrigation, return trip, outward trip/switching off irrigation, return trip)
  • High irrigation costs (travel and working hours, possibly even including labor costs)
  • Unnecessary fuel consumption for farm-to-culture trips
  • Possible incorrect irrigation due to subjective, non-data-based timing

With Smart Farming system (using the example of FARMSENSE and FARMVALVE)

  • Optimum watering time can be determined using sensors
  • Valve control remotely controlled via cell phone app or browser (no driving required, no manual switching on site)
  • Up to 4 trips per irrigation cycle are no longer necessary → Savings in working time, fuel, possibly labor costs
  • Less water consumption thanks to precise, needs-based irrigation (instead of blanket irrigation)
  • Saving on pesticides by avoiding plant diseases and pest infestations

  • Yield protection (up to 30 %)
     and avoidance of quality losses (e.g. for early potatoes: less scab, uniform caliber)

A calculation example: FARMVALVE pays off – even in arable farming!

What does the additional automation and remote control of irrigation mean in terms of further cost savings?

Let us assume the following practical cultivation parameters:

  • 4.7 km farm-to-crop distance, 1.2 ha field size, 60 irrigation cycles per season
  • Climatic conditions: Drought and heat during the main vegetation period of potatoes from May to August
  • the water requirement of potato crops in the main vegetation period is already high in normal years: during germination and emergence
    about 50-75% of the field capacity
    ; during the
    during leaf and stem growth the water requirement increases
    during tuber establishment it is even and moderate, during tuber growth it is at
    about 60-80% of the field capacity
     irrigation should first be reduced during ripening,
    2-3 weeks before harvest it should even be stopped
    During prolonged drought it is approx. 30 l/m
  • 4 trips per watering cycle (= outward trip to switch on watering and return trip, outward trip to switch off watering and return trip)
  • Average speed of the vehicle used: 40 km/h
  • Fuel/vehicle costs: 0.30 €/km
  • 0.25 h of work per outward/return journey for switching the irrigation on/off and visual inspections of the hose or pipe system
  • Water price: 0.07 €/m³
  • Hourly wage (for 1 employee): 12.82 €/h (= minimum wage)

The use of smart farming technology for irrigation brings the following additional savings:

  • 1,128 km of travel and therefore travel costs of € 338.40
  • Eliminated working hours of 43.20 h and thus wage costs of € 553.82
  • Saved water costs in the amount of € 25.20

That makes a total of €917.42 per season.

You can estimate your savings potential for each field and each crop removal yourself. Simply use our
efficiency calculator
!

The smartest farmers have the fattest potatoes!

The acquisition costs for the FARMSENSE PRO including rain sensor, three soil sensors and a 1-inch FARMVALVE kit amount to a total of €2,438.97 (as of 7.2025). Assuming you use a Smart Farming system (1 x FARMSENSE PRO + 2 x soil sensors, 1 x rain sensor + 1 x FARMVALVE) in the potato field from our calculation example above.

So what does your economic balance sheet look like in a drought year?

Pretty good! Because ideally, you save 30% of the impending loss of yield in the sales value of: €2,624.40 (€2,187/ha x 1.2). And you also save operating costs of: €917.42 (see above!) thanks to the smart, radio-controlled irrigation. In other words, you’ll make €3,541.82 from the soil of our example potato field in the first season. Your investment in smart farming technology will pay for itself in the first season (after just over 8 months).