Yield and morphology of forage cactus cultivars under drip irrigation management based on soil water matric potential thresholds

Drip irrigation has the potential of high water use efficiency, but actual water measurement is difficult because of the limited wetted volume. Two long-term experiments in orchards in Israel and in California and several field crop studies supported by this project have demonstrated the feasibility of precise monitoring of soil water distribution for drip irrigation in spite of the limited soil wetting. Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) enables in situ measurement of soil water content of well defined small volumes. Several approaches were tried in monitoring the soil water balance in the field during drip irrigation. These also facilitated the estimation of water uptake: 1. The use of multilevel moisture probe TDR system. This approach proved to be of limited value because of the extremely small diameter of measurement. 2. The placement of 20 cm long TDR probes at predetermined distances from the drippers in citrus orchards. 3. Heavy instrumentation with neutron scattering access tubes and tensiometers of a single drip irrigated almond tree. 4. High resolution spatial and temporal measurements (0.1m x 0.1m grid) of water content by TDR in corn irrigated by surface and subsurface drip. The latter approach was accompanied by parametric modelling of water uptake intensity patterns by corn roots and superimposed with analytical solutions for water flow from point and line sources. All this lead to general and physically based suggestions for the placement of soil water sensors for scheduling drip irrigation.

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Multifunctional irrigation for viticulture adaptation to climate change: a case study in northern Italy

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-16487 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniele Masseroni ◽

Lucio Brancadoro ◽

Riccardo Guidetti ◽

Roberto Beghi ◽

Davide Bianchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Water Evaporation ◽

Experimental Activity ◽

Related Stress

The last decades have been characterized by an important development of viticulture in Italy, especially in Lombardy, where this sector is focusing on improving grapevine production, by enhancing quantity and, even more, quality. The increasing frequency of extreme meteorological events that has been observed in recent years has started raising concerns about the risks for grapevine quality and production, caused by summer heat waves and late spring frosts. The role of over-vine sprinklers in frost protection is well known; less so is their effect on heat stress protection. In fact, recent studies have shown that evaporation of sprayed water in the canopy layer during heat waves can reduce local air temperature through latent heat absorption by water evaporation. Moreover, in order to minimize the temperature-related stress, water spraying can be combined with the control of soil water content through drip irrigation, to lower soil temperature and enhance turgor maintenance.The ADAM project (http://www.adam-disaa.eu/IT/DEFAULT.ASP#) fits into this research framework. The objective of the project is to develop a multifunctional irrigation strategy combining controlled soil water content and protection from temperature-related stress conditions. An experimental activity has started in the 2019 season in a Chardonnay vineyard located in the Colli Morenici area (Lombardy, northern Italy). Four irrigation management strategies have been compared, namely: no irrigation (NI); farmer&#8217;s drip irrigation (IT); automated drip irrigation, based on tensiometer measurements (IG); automated drip plus over-vine micro-sprinkler irrigation based on tensiometer measurements, temperature measurements and short-term forecast (IS). In the latter case, irrigation is activated before heat wave occurrence, based on 5days-ahead temperature forecasts (with 3 h refresh period).At the end of the first year of experiment, we have obtained interesting preliminary results: while the first three strategies did not lead to significant differences in grape quality (in terms of sugars content, acidity and pH of musts), differences were found in all three parameters for the IS strategy. Specifically, pH and acidity are higher and sugars content is lower. Further analysis, including micro-vinification, are ongoing in order to assess the effects on wine quality. The experimental activity will continue in 2020 and 2021 with the aims of: collecting enough data to define a preliminary protocol for multi-functional irrigation management; assess the irrigation water requirements and the energy consumptions; test the effectiveness of VIS/NIR techniques for the quick measurement of crop conditions; verify the sustainability of the different strategies, both at the farm and district scale.

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CULTIVO DA BETERRABA SOB DIFERENTES TENSÕES DE ÁGUA NO SOLO

Irriga ◽

10.15809/irriga.2019v24n2p220-235 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 220-235

Author(s):

Jonathan Rocha Miranda ◽

Geraldo Magela Pereira

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Innovative Design ◽

Soil Water Tension ◽

Experimental Area ◽

Engineering Department ◽

Water Tension

CULTIVO DA BETERRABA SOB DIFERENTES TENSÕES DE ÁGUA NO SOLO JONATHAN DA ROCHA MIRANDA¹ E GERALDO MAGELA PEREIRA² 1Doutorando em Engenharia Agrícola pela Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) – Campus Universitário, Departamento de Engenharia, C.P. 3037 – CEP 37200-000, Lavras-MG, Brasil. [email protected]; ²Professor Titular da Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) - Campus Universitário, Departamento de Engenharia, C.P. 3037- CEP 37200-000, Lavras-MG, Brasil. [email protected]. 1 RESUMO Objetivou-se com este estudo, avaliar o efeito de diferentes tensões de água no solo sobre a produção de beterraba, cultivada em ambiente protegido e irrigada por gotejamento, de forma a estabelecer critérios para o manejo adequado da irrigação. O experimento foi conduzido na área experimental do Departamento de Engenharia da Universidade Federal de Lavras, no período de fevereiro a maio de 2016. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos completos casualizados, com seis tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos corresponderam as tensões da água no solo de 15; 25; 35; 45; 55 e 65 kPa. Conclui-se que para a obtenção de maior produtividade e eficiência no usa da água, as irrigações devem ser realizadas quando a tensão da água no solo estiver em torno de 15 kPa, a uma profundidade de 0,15 m. Palavras-chave: Manejo de irrigação; Ambiente protegido; Sensor de Resistência Elétrica; Eficiência no Uso da Água. MIRANDA, J.R; PEREIRA, G.M. BEET CULTIVATION UNDER DIFFERENT SOIL WATER TENSIONS 2 ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different soil water stresses on beet production, cultivated in a protected environment and irrigated by drip irrigation, to establish criteria for proper irrigation management. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Engineering Department of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), from February to May 2016. The innovative design was a randomized complete block (DBC), with six treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of six soil water tension stresses (15, 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65 kPa). From the results obtained, it was concluded that to achieve higher values of productivity and efficiency in the use of water, irrigations should be carried out when the water tension in the soil is around 15 kPa, to a depth of 0.15 m. Keywords: Irrigation management; Protected environment; Watermark, Efficiency in Water Use.

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Required Lateral Inlet Pressure Head for Automated Subsurface Drip Irrigation Management

International Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.1155/2013/162354 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Moncef Hammami ◽

Khemaies Zayani ◽

Hédi Ben Ali

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Water ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Water Retention ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Pressure Head ◽

Subsurface Drip Irrigation ◽

Inlet Pressure ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Subsurface Drip

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is one of the most promising irrigation systems. It is based on small and frequent water supplies. Because SDI emitters are buried, their discharges are dependent on the water status at the vicinity of the outlets. This paper was targeted to design the SDI laterals accounting for the soil water-retention characteristics and the roots water extraction. The proposed approach provides systematic triggering and cut-off of irrigation events based on fixed water suctions in the vadose zone. In doing so, the soil water content is maintained at an optimal threshold ascertaining the best plant growth. Knowing the soil water-retention curve, the appropriate water suction for the plant growth, and the emitter discharge-pressure head relationship, the developed method allows the computation of the required hydraulics of the lateral (e.g., inlet pressure head, inside diameter, etc.). The proposed approach is a helpful tool for best SDI systems design and appropriate water management. An illustrative example is presented for SDI laterals’ design on tomato crop.

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