Toro Micro-Irrigation has recently launched its latest breakthrough in drip irrigation technology — Aqua-Traxx with the PBX Advantage.

With the PBX emitter, growers have a tool that helps them achieve higher crop yields, better plant quality, and more uniform plant growth without the compromises of the past.

In the past, high-quality emitters in seamless extruded tubes were expensive, and wider emitter spacing was chosen to economize on cost. Now, with Toro's new Aqua-Traxx PBX, high-quality emitters in seamless extruded tubes are available at any emitter spacing without any additional cost.

This is because of Toro's technological breakthrough which creates a high precision, continuously molded emitter instead of the individual, injection-molded emitters that are more expensive. The end result is that Aqua-Traxx PBX premium drip tape is more clog-resistant and delivers water uniformly to every plant, regardless of the chosen emitter spacing.

And since Aqua-Traxx drip tape is sold by the foot, not the emitter, growers can choose emitter spacings anywhere from 4 inches to 24 inches based upon their desired wetting pattern, not cost.

“The Proportionally Balanced Cross section (PBX) technology optimizes turbulence and maximizes resistance to clogging,” says Claude Corcos, marketing manager for Toro's Micro-Irrigation Business.

“The precision-engineered expansion and contraction points built into the extra large flow path generate additional turbulence to efficiently regulate water flow while reducing the risk of clogging.”

Moreover, according to Corcos, “the precise balance between the extra large flow path and the highly turbulent flow has allowed Toro to lower the filtration requirement to 140-mesh for all Aqua-Traxx standard flow rates.

“PBX technology has introduced a paradigm shift in drip irrigation,” explains Corcos. “In the past, a grower had to hydraulically redesign a whole system if they wanted to modify the spacing between emitter outlets.

“With PBX, a grower can now change the spacing between emitters and maintain the same water application in the field. Since closely spaced emitters provide many agronomic benefits, growers no longer need to compromise.”

Aqua-Traxx is also available in a more economical 4 mil wall thickness as well as 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 15 mil thicknesses for tougher applications. Finally, there are 8 emitter flow rates in the Aqua-Traxx product family, ranging from the ultra-low (0.07 gph) to the ultra-high (0.34 gph) flow emitters, to fit the lengths of run, soil types and cultural practices found in farming operations across the globe.

The new Aqua-Traxx with the PBX Advantage specification sheet may be accessed at www.toromicroirrigation.com.