PROTECTOR: An absolutely novel, and easy to use accessory is based on a non-stick and water repellent protective film system placed between the ground and the polyethylene hose, protecting hose from gluing, strenuous abrasions and high friction. It is a fully automated self-efficient device with an autonomous mechanism.
PROTECTOR allows the use of thinner hoses (note that the cost of a 1,000 m long hose Ø 135 mm may be around 10,500 €, while a hose of the same length and external diameter but the thinnest version costs around 6,500 €) and lighter tractors (which are cheaper and more manageable) and makes it possible to use longer hoses too. In consequence, it reduces the high energy consumption used for pumping the water and for positioning the hose and allows sprinklers work at more adequate pressure. PROTECTOR makes agricultural practices more environmentally sustainable: water is used more efficiently, energy consumption and associated GHG emissions are reduced and less plastic is used. Environmental sustainability and climate change are nowadays among the most important challenges of the humankind and many EU policies promote the development and use of technologies that help to address these issues.
However, there is no current alternative to PROTECTOR: Other word said, there is no other product that installed on a hose reel irrigator leads to a reduction of the friction between the hose and the soil. This is a first of its kind, disruptive and market creating innovation!