Plastico Corp.

08/06/2022

California is in its third year of drought and virtually all areas of the state are classified as either in severe or extreme drought. January through March is typically when most of California's annual rain and snow falls, but this year those months were the driest in at least a century. Currently, six million Southern Californians are under water restrictions, and the agriculture industry is upended. If residents in California don't use less water on their own as the drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach, the state might face mandatory water restrictions soon in the next few weeks.

The below free industry webinar video will give you more ideas about the situation. It is sponsored by the Irrigation Association, the California Landscape Contractors Association and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

California Drought & New Water RestrictionsCalifornia continues to suffer through drought conditions, and as the hotter summer months approach, policymakers ...

27/04/2022

Pressure Regulating Legislation for California-based Irrigation Landscape

New irrigation sprinkler regulations for California were implemented from January 2020, helping the state meet its water management and conservation goals. All new sprinklers must contain pressure regulators that restrict water flow to 30psi, eliminating misting and overshooting, both of which waste water. Previously required only on new landscapes, now all existing systems must replace sprinkler heads with pressure regulating technology.

Water conservation is a growing issue across the United States. To help maintain this finite resource, one method many states are progressively using is water pressure regulation for sprinklers. But while pressure-regulating sprinkler legislation paints a picture of a water-efficient future, do those in the landscape irrigation industry see that as a feasible possibility?

The cost of this water-saving technology will raise the price of your sprinkler heads about $3, however, it will lower your water costs significantly, quickly absorbing your upgrade expenses. While some clients solely see an increased bill required to install the new sprinkler heads, more and more experts inform customers that they’ll see a return on investment in about six months as compared to putting in a traditional sprinkler head.

Until now, most people were receptive to it and understood, because they see that the water bills are flat year over year even though the cost has gone up. I’ll say it’s the right decision to follow and comply with the legislation, because in the long run, it is in the best interest of everyone involved to use these items.

Topic: Pressure Regulating Legislation for California-based Irrigation Landscape
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://irrigationandlighting.org/news/putting-pressure-on-californias-landscape-irrigation/
2. https://www.gachina.com/pressure-regulating-sprinkler-heads/

09/03/2022

Smart Irrigation Helps “ESG” Goal Done

Why is Smart Irrigation crucial for achieving ESG goals? As ESG has become a critical part of company strategy, many leaders have begun to consider how to design roadmaps and actionable plans. Because Smart Irrigation practices won’t compromise future generations. And because in today’s environmentally conscious world, investors and stakeholders consider very seriously how companies are operating as stewards of nature.

The smart irrigation system uses remote monitoring to observe temperature, wind, solar radiation, and humidity. This information is sent to controllers that adjust the system to meet the current weather demands. The intuitive system will never automatically water plants on a rainy day because it is “scheduled.” The smart controllers also run remote checks and alert associates through a mobile system if valves aren't operating or if there are connectivity issues.

It’s easy to prevent this damaging cascade of events when using today’s Smart Irrigation methods. Smart Irrigation systems save water and money. Studies show that up to 50% of water usage for landscape irrigation can be saved with cloud-based Smart Irrigation systems. As a result, Smart systems can pay for themselves in water savings within two years.

The true potential of ESG lies in the fact that meaningful environmental conservation can scale, because it is economically and operationally sustainable. Spain says: “When you are able to save real money by eliminating needless waste, your entire world view of the problems before us is transformed from seeing an endless landscape of challenges to realizing that, if managed right, there’s gold in them darn hills.”.

Topic: Smart Irrigation Helps “ESG” Goal Done
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://www.hydropoint.com/blog/using-smart-irrigation-to-achieve-esg-goals/
2. https://www.3blmedia.com/news/smart-irrigation-improving-water-conservation
3. https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/esg-strategy-in-action-18016

17/02/2022

The Trend of Indoor Vertical Farming Platform

There has never been a more pressing time to invest in food innovation, and not just in arid regions that depend on imports to meet food requirements. With an expanding global population and increasing resource scarcity, producing, packaging and distributing food in a sustainable way has become critical to the health and well-being of people everywhere

Indoor farming technology platform delivers pesticide-free produce all year long. The indoor farming architecture differs from greenhouses and other indoor farms, combining engineering, software and sustainable crop science to grow multiple crops on one platform. Plenty’s proprietary technology improves on traditional agriculture’s use of water and land. By building their farms closer to the consumer, Plenty helps reduce transportation and food waste, keeping items fresher for longer in 100 percent recyclable product packaging.

It’s one of a number of ideas to expand vertical farms, as breakthroughs in hydroponic and aeroponic technology allow for these indoor facilities to produce crops with higher yields using less land and water. Vertical farms are intended to grow crops more efficiently — stacking them in trays or vertical planters in indoor climate-controlled conditions, and using algorithms and other technology to optimize light and growing conditions, often in urban environments.

Vertical farms are one vision for how to produce more crops on less land. They’re touted as environmentally friendly, and they do use less water and fewer pesticides. But most vertical farms use fully enclosed systems with heating and artificial LED lights that can require huge amounts of electricity. Ratti’s reliance on sunlight is intended to tackle this criticism of many vertical farms, and other farms like Shockingly Fresh are relying entirely on natural light. Sunlight, however, is not as consistently available throughout the year, and unlike in artificially lit farms, dark winter afternoons will mean fewer crops grown.

Currently the world is not on track to meet UN sustainable development goal number 2 to eliminate hunger. Any company that strives to increase agricultural productivity and sustainable food production is already doing their share, but there is still a long way to go.

Topic: What you should know for the Winter Watering
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2022/02/02/indoor-vertical-farming-has-a-big-role-in-sustainable-agriculture/?sh=4132852a6013
2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-12-13/farmscraper-design-takes-vertical-farms-to-new-heights

11/01/2022

What you should know for the Winter Watering

Long, dry periods during winter can result in death or injury to plant root systems. Because plants often show no visual signs of drought stress in winter, watering is easily overlooked. Affected plants may be slow to leaf out in the spring. There may be unseen damage to the roots, and branches may die back. Damaged trees can also be more susceptible to insect and disease problems later on.

Something to keep in mind is that winter watering is vastly different from summer watering: you only water during dry spells of a month or more, you water during the day, and you’ll water by hand as irrigation systems have been turned off for the winter.

Talking about turn off the irrigation system, residents and business owners are always reminded to turn off their automatic sprinkler systems when the threat of freezing weather moves into the metro. Water from sprinklers often cause streets to become slick and hazardous when the temperature dips below freezing.

At last, remember that watering during freezing weather can also cause damage to your irrigation system and plants. The following tips should be kept in mind when the winter is coming:
(1) Turn your sprinkler system off in cold months. Water that lands on sidewalks and streets turns to ice, making surfaces slick and dangerous for walkers, drivers and cyclists.
(2) In the winter, use your sprinkler system only during lingering dry conditions and when the temperature is above freezing. Plants need a lot less water in the winter and a good soaking before temperatures plummet will protect roots. Ice can kill or damage plants.
(3) Install a rain/freeze sensor for automatic sprinkler systems to prevent unnecessary watering.

Topic: What you should know for the Winter Watering
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://extension.arizona.edu/coconino-master-gardener
2. https://www.okc.gov/departments/utilities/squeeze-every-drop

24/12/2021

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2022

02/12/2021

The Guide to a Water Efficient Garden

Drought and water restrictions in many countries have shown us that water is a scarce and precious resource. Just because water restrictions permit watering at a certain time doesn’t mean you need to water. And even where there are no restrictions we should all be doing our best to conserve water. Reducing the water you give your plants will also save your time, effort and money and you will still have a healthy garden.

Plants draw water from the soil where their roots grow. If you overfill the soil, water will be wasted through runoff or by draining below the root zone. Additionally, too much water will result in a waterlogged soil that can cause root rot and disease that kill plants. If soil dries out for long periods or too often it can become water repellent and your plants could wilt and die.

So how can we build a water efficient garden? The challenge is to manage water applications so that there is just enough water in the root zone for your plants to stay healthy. Important steps in building a garden with healthy landscape that uses less water are:
(1) Understanding your soil type.
(2) Improving the soil so that water infiltrates and is held effectively.
(3) Understanding when and how to supplement natural rainfall only when necessary.
(4) Installing a professionally designed, well-maintained irrigation system.

Topic: The Guide to a Water Efficient Garden
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://www.waterwiseprograms.com.au/
2. https://issuu.com/irrigationaustralia/docs/2021_wwwaterefficientgardenwa?streamOrigin=master113%3Bweb%2Fembed%2Fread_more_from_paying_publisher%3Bprofile&streamRanking=0&embed_cta=read_more&embed_context=shareable

15/11/2021

What’s the Vision of Smart Irrigation in the Next Decade
-- smart irrigation market size to reach more than $2.5 billion by 2027 --

The global smart irrigation market size is expected to reach $2.9 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate of 15.5%, according to a new report by Emergen Research, Surrey, British Columbia. Major factors such as rapid advancements in the agricultural sector, increasing demand for good quality food, and rapidly expanding global population are driving global market revenue growth.

Smart irrigation is an advanced irrigation process that uses various components and controllers to monitor weather, plant water use, soil conditions, and adjusts watering schedule automatically according to actual conditions. Factors such as rising concerns regarding water shortage across several countries, increasing pe*******on of Internet of Things, and constant weather changes are boosting global market growth. High adoption of smart irrigation systems on golf courses, sports ground, forestry and turf and landscape, increasing usage of automated irrigation systems in residential and commercial buildings is also fueling market growth.

On the basis of geography, Asia Pacific region is expected to fastest-growing market during the forecast period, owing to stringent norms of government on water-efficient and increasing use of smart irrigation technology in agriculture field to meet the growing demand for food in the region. The key contributors in the region are China, Japan, India and Korea. The agricultural sector is massive in Asia pacific. Therefore, the demand prospects for the market are high in the forecasts period. Demand for sensors has elevated the global market in China and India. For instance, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), agriculture sector in Asia Pacific needs to produce around 60% more food globally over the forecast period, to cater to the requirement of food for increasing population.

Topic: What’s the Vision of Smart Irrigation in the Next Decade
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://igin.com/article-8802-Smart-irrigation-market-size-to-reach-$29-billion-in-2027.html
2. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/554106925/smart-irrigation-market-2021-to-2028-industry-trends-share-size-growth-opportunity-and-forecasts

29/10/2021

Next Gen Fertilizer Innovation Challenge

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers facilitate the growth of crops, including corn, at yields that provide sustained global food production. However, fertilizers applied without consideration of the appropriate rate, timing, source, and method, can have harmful effects on the environment and human health.

To help mitigate these adverse effects, EPA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to launch the Joint EPA-USDA Partnership and Competition on Next Gen Fertilizers to Advance Agricultural Sustainability in the United States. This Partnership is being coordinated with input from stakeholders such as corn grower representatives, fertilizer companies, university researchers, and environmental and industry NGOs. This competition includes two challenges which aim to accelerate the development and use of existing and new product technologies that are affordable to reduce the environmental impacts of U.S. corn production. The results of the Partnership may ultimately be leveraged to improve production of other crops and in the U.S. and abroad.

Here below are the two competitions:
1. EEFs: Environmental and Agronomic Challenge
This Challenge aims to identify existing EEFs currently on or near-market that meet or exceed certain environmental and agro-economic criteria.

2. Next Gen Fertilizer Innovations Challenge
This Challenge aims to identify concepts for novel technologies for fertilizers and other product technology innovations that can reduce the environmental effects from modern agriculture while maintaining or increasing crop yields.

Topic: Carbon Neutral and Footprint
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References:
1. https://www.epa.gov/innovation/next-gen-fertilizer-challenges
2. https://www.newaginternational.com/index.php/en/news/news-from-the-market/2920-next-gen-fertilizer-challenge-identifies-new-fertilizer-technologies-and-products
3. https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/next-gen-fertilizer-innovations-challenge/

04/10/2021

Carbon Neutral and Footprint

Countries and corporations all over the world are talking about their commitment to the climate change, pledging to achieve “net-zero” carbon emissions or become “carbon neutral” in the next few decades.

The U.S. aims to move to net zero emissions by 2050. China aims for the same in 2060. Visa, AstraZeneca, and Alaska Airlines all plan to eliminate carbon emissions by at least 2040, while other corporations like Apple have committed to 100% carbon neutral supply chains and products by 2030.

Unfortunately, there are no standard guidelines for achieving net zero or carbon neutral goals. That means companies and countries can create their own definitions. Companies who pledge to be carbon neutral are not necessarily promising to remove CO2 from their activities. Instead, they can support environmental activities that would offset their own emissions. Examples are installing renewable energy, plant and protect trees, or providing other means to clean up the atmosphere.

There are people who are basically being forced into making these commitments by shareholder pressure. So what should corporations do to avoid hollow green pledges? “A corporation needs to be able to measure and verify its emissions, both within its own operations, but also upstream and downstream of its operations. By doing this way, it will show the outside world just how it’s going against those targets.”.

Topic: Carbon Neutral and Footprint
Company: Plastico Corp.
Official website: http://www.plastico.com.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Plastico-Corp-102047405394301
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticocorptw/
References: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/12/the-hollow-promise-of-net-zero-carbon-pledges.html

03/09/2021

IA Show Updated
2021 Irrigation Show & Education Week
December 6-10 | San Diego, California
Trade show | Dec.8-9
San Diego Convention Center
111 W Harbor Drive | San Diego, CA 92101
~Registration is open for the Irrigation Show!
~Early bird deadline: Oct. 31

03/09/2021

National Hardware Show HOURS
Thursday, October 21 - 9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday, October 22 - 9:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday, October 23 - 9:00am - 1:00pm