{"id":2549,"date":"2025-07-03T07:34:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/?p=2549"},"modified":"2025-07-03T07:34:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:34:53","slug":"research-update-certification-and-distance-learning-for-fertigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/research-update-certification-and-distance-learning-for-fertigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Update: Certification and Distance Learning for Fertigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Note: This is part of a Research Update series that highlights projects funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), <\/em>Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP)<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Title: <\/strong>Certification and Distance Learning for Fertigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Lead:<\/strong>\u00a0Dr. Stuart Styles, Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC), Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo
Project Status:<\/strong>\u00a0Complete (3-year project)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project location:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0ITRC, Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overview:<\/strong> This FREP-funded project developed distance learning modules for various aspects of fertigation, including nitrogen processes and management. In addition, this project translated these resources into Spanish and made them available for free on ITRC\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California has over 4.1 million acres with intensively farmed drip\/micro irrigation, and approximately 1 million more acres with sprinklers, almost all of which apply fertilizer through irrigation water (fertigation). Fertigation encompasses the application of fertilizers to crops via irrigation systems. The lack of readily available pragmatic information and training related to fertigation is a major hurdle to improving nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency. This project is intended to address this issue with both English and Spanish training materials and certifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principal investigators (PIs) of this project developed 22 distance learning modules for various aspects of fertigation, including nitrogen processes and management. These videos utilized information available in the ITRC\/FREP book Fertigation<\/a> that was developed under a previously funded FREP grant. The 22 videos were completed in English and Spanish, and all videos were uploaded to YouTube and are available to the general public on the ITRC YouTube channel<\/a>. A list of the videos and their durations are shown in Table 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Table 1. List of the training videos available on ITRC\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ITRC team also developed a \u201cCertified Fertigator\u201d certification program targeting farm managers and field staff involved in fertigation. After developing the questions and answers for the exam, the asynchronous online courses were developed based on the fertigation videos. A preliminary question bank was created for future quizzes and exams. In 2024, ITRC launched the in-house \u201cCertified Fertigator\u201d program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Results and Impacts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project has developed a suite of technical educational\/awareness products. The in-house English and Spanish \u201cCertified Fertigator\u201d courses are active and open for enrollment on ITRC\u2019s website<\/a>. Participants who pass the exam at the end of the course with a score of 70% or higher receive a certificate of completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The videos<\/a> are also available to the public as a playlist. There have been over 17,000 views with over 1,800 hours of viewing time since the modules were posted, with approximately 11 percent of the time focused on the Spanish modules (Figures 1 and 2). The videos that have the most interest are Fertilizer and Chemical Injectors and Sulfur Dioxide Generators. These videos have well over 2,500 views each in English and over 150 views each Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Figure 1. View count of ITRC fertigation modules (English).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

       Figure 2. View count of ITRC fertigation modules (Spanish).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The in-house English and Spanish \u201cCertified Fertigator\u201d courses are active and open for enrollment on ITRC\u2019s website. Participants who pass the exam at the end of the course receive a Certificate of Completion. There has been a total of 50 attendees and 36 recipients of the \u201cCertified Fertigator\u201d certification (through January 2025). These courses are also available at no cost via the ITRC website at (https:\/\/www.itrc.org\/classes\/fertigation.htm<\/a>).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about this project and other current and completed FREP projects please visit: <\/em>https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/is\/ffldrs\/frep\/Research.html<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note: This is part of a Research Update series that highlights projects funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). Project Title: Certification and Distance Learning for Fertigation Project Lead:\u00a0Dr. Stuart Styles, Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC), Cal Poly State University in San Luis ObispoProject Status:\u00a0Complete (3-year project) Project location:\u00a0\u00a0ITRC, Cal Poly State University …<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1618,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[39,456],"tags":[21,8,29,272,210,58,36],"class_list":["post-2549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frep-grant-program","category-research-updates","tag-california-agriculture-research","tag-california-fertilizer-research","tag-fertigation","tag-fertilizer-research-funding","tag-irrigation-management","tag-nitrogen-management","tag-nutrient-management"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9r16A-F7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":260,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/fertigation-short-course\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":0},"title":"Fertigation Short Course","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"June 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"What: A one-day short course on fertigation is being offered by the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) with funding from the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The course covers new techniques in the control and application of fertilizers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nutrient Management Events"","block_context":{"text":"Nutrient Management Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/nutrient-management-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IRTC","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Irrigation-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":389,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/fertigation-short-course-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":1},"title":"Fertigation Short Course","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"What: A one-day short course on fertigation is being offered by the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) with funding from the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). The course covers new techniques in the control and application of fertilizers through irrigation systems, and strategies to comply with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nutrient Management Events"","block_context":{"text":"Nutrient Management Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/nutrient-management-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fertigation course, March 2017","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/ITRC-Fertigation-Training-292x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/events-for-march-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":2},"title":"Events for March 2017","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"February 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Efficient Irrigation and Nitrogen Use Workshop What: Hosted by the California Almond Sustainability Program, this workshop gives almond growers an opportunity to learn about tools and techniques to increase irrigation efficiency through Almond Board of California\u2019s (ABC\u2019s) Irrigation Continuum, and to improve the accuracy of nitrogen applications through the use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nutrient Management Events"","block_context":{"text":"Nutrient Management Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/nutrient-management-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":242,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/research-update-new-fertigation-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":3},"title":"Research Update: New Fertigation Book","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"October 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Research Project: New Fertigation Book Status: Last year of a two year study Issue: There are many fertilizer publications and research papers. However, few of these resources focus on pragmatic chemical applications via irrigation water \u2013 especially in light of special California drought conditions. An older publication of FERTIGATION has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All"","block_context":{"text":"All","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Figure 4-9 in book. Example demonstration unit of a proportional injection unit with venturis, magnetic chemical flow meters, and modulated (meaning the opening is carefully adjusted, as opposed to pulsing) valves on the chemical line. The booster pump on the right-hand side pressurizes the water that flows through the venturis.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/CBinjectionunit-219x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2755,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/cdfa-announces-vacancies-on-fertilizer-inspection-advisory-board-technical-advisory-subcommittee\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":4},"title":"CDFA Announces Vacancies on Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board Technical Advisory Subcommittee","author":"Jennifer Harmon","date":"April 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting applications to fill four vacancies on the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board\u2019s Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). TASC serves as an expert scientific panel on matters concerning efficient use of fertilizing materials and irrigation water. TASC members advise on Fertilizer Research and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technical Advisory Subcommittee"","block_context":{"text":"Technical Advisory Subcommittee","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/technical-advisory-subcommittee\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":920,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/frep-awards-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":2549,"position":5},"title":"FREP Awards Projects to Improve Agricultural Fertilizer Management and Water Quality","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"November 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is pleased to announce the award of over $1.1 million in grant funds to agricultural organizations and universities. These grants will fund six projects that will improve the efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of fertilizer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1618"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2549"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2554,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2549\/revisions\/2554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}