scholarly journals Comparing Overhead versus Drip Irrigation for Production of Three Cultivars of Romaine Lettuce on Biodegradable Plastic Mulch

2022 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Jenny C. Moore ◽  
Brian Leib ◽  
Zachariah R. Hansen ◽  
Annette L. Wszelaki
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Biodegradable Plastic ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Romaine Lettuce ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Overhead Irrigation

Growers seeking alternatives to traditional polyethylene plastic mulch may use biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs). However, plasticulture systems typically also use plastic drip tape underneath the mulch, which must be removed from the field and disposed of at the end of the season, making tilling the BDM into the soil more difficult and expensive. A potential solution to this dilemma may be to use other irrigation methods, such as overhead sprinklers, that could be more easily removed from the field and reused from year to year. At Knoxville, TN, in 2019 and 2020, we grew three cultivars of romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa) on BDM with two irrigation systems (overhead sprinklers above the mulch and drip irrigation tape under the mulch) to compare water use, disease, and yield in these two irrigation systems. Water use was higher in overhead vs. drip irrigation in both years; however, the difference in water use was much smaller in 2019 due to higher rainfall amounts during the time period the lettuce was growing in the field (March to May). Disease incidence and severity were very low both years for both irrigation systems. There were no differences in marketable yield (number of heads) between irrigation treatment in 2019. In 2020, marketable yield by number was greater in the drip vs. overhead irrigation treatment. Unmarketable yield in 2019 was due to heads that were too small; in 2020, unmarketability was predominantly due to tipburn in overhead irrigated ‘Jericho’. Overall, marketable lettuce yield did not differ between irrigation treatments in 2019 and was similar for ‘Parris Island Cos’ in 2020. Although quantitative weed counts were not made, observations of weed pressure between rows showed that weed pressure was higher in overhead irrigated compared with drip irrigated subplots. This highlights the need to have a between-row weed management program in place. The results of this study suggest that with attention to cultivar and weed management, overhead irrigation could be a viable alternative to drip irrigation for lettuce production on BDM, especially for early spring lettuce when rainfall is historically more plentiful.

scholarly journals Water use efficiency of different production techniques for zucchini

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 42604
Author(s):  
Anita Cristina Costa da Silva ◽  
Willian Fernandes de Almeida ◽  
Luiz Antonio Lima ◽  
Mayra Carolina De Oliveira ◽  
Alexandre Lasmar Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Factorial Design ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Drip Line ◽  
First Year ◽  
Line Position ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Subsurface Drip

 The effects of pulse drip, drip line position and soil mulch on water use efficiency in yields of zucchini cv. Clarinda were evaluated. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Engineering Department of the Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, for two years. For the first year of the experiment, the experimental design was a randomized block design with a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design (continuous and pulse drip irrigation, surface and subsurface dripping, with and without plastic mulch), with four replications. For the second year of the experiment, the design was completely randomized in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design with eight treatments and five replications. In relation to the position of the drip line, the subsurface drip line was installed at a 0.15-m depth, and the soil mulch was made with double-sided plastic (white/black). The results indicated that pulse drip irrigation did not affect the yield of zucchini and that soil mulch increased the yield and water use efficiency. In terms of the drip line position, the subsurface drip line increased the yield in the first year, but it had no effect on water use efficiency.

scholarly journals Environmental and Economic Sustainability Assessment for Two Different Sprinkler and A Drip Irrigation Systems: A Case Study on Maize Cropping

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eros Borsato ◽  
Marco Martello ◽  
Francesco Marinello ◽  
Lucia Bortolini
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Environmental Aspect ◽  
Irrigation Practice ◽  
Center Pivot ◽  
Use Efficiency

Water scarcity is worsened by climate change. Water savings can be reached by improving irrigation efficiency both on farm and on water supply. To do that, the choice of the best irrigation technology is not always straightforward, because farmers need to renew and implement farm infrastructures for irrigation. This study compares three irrigation systems, one drip irrigation and two sprinkler (center pivot and hose-reel) systems, on environmental, economic, and energetic performance under irrigated and non-irrigated maize cropping. The study combines impact and efficiency indicators, addressing a sustainability analysis for the irrigation practice under the three different irrigation systems. The sustainability for the irrigation systems was assessed using water-related indicators (water use efficiency, irrigation water use efficiency, and water footprint), biomass (crop growth rate, relative growth rate, harvest index, and yield response factor), and energy indicators (energy footprint, performance, and energy cost footprint) for the environmental aspect; and the economic-based indicators (water productivity and economic water footprint) for the economic aspect. Main results address the center pivot system as the best solution for irrigation practice since it demonstrated higher economic and environmental performance. Moreover, maize under the pivot system allowed a higher biomass production, economic benefits, and water use efficiency.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Shallow Subsurface Drip Irrigation for the Production of Acorn Squash

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Coolong
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Subsurface Drip Irrigation ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Subsurface Drip ◽  
The Impact

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has been increasingly used for the production of numerous agronomic crops and a limited number of vegetable crops. To determine the impact of SDI compared with surface drip irrigation (SUR), a study was conducted in 2011 and 2012 with ‘Table Queen’ acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo var. turbinata) with irrigation initiated at 75% and 50% plant available water (PAW). The study was arranged as a factorial randomized complete block design and plants were grown with two irrigation types (SUR or SDI) and two tensiometer-controlled irrigation regimes. Results from 2011 suggested that SDI used less water compared with SUR at each irrigation set point. However, in 2012, significantly more water was used in all treatments due to warmer temperatures and less rainfall. In 2012, SDI used more water than SUR treatments at the same irrigation set point. In 2012, yield was affected by irrigation treatment. Plants grown using SUR irrigating at 75% PAW had greater numbers of fruit compared with other treatments. Furthermore, the highest yielding treatment had more than twice the number of irrigation events than the other treatments though the average lengths of irrigation events were shorter. Although overall yields were greater in 2012, irrigation water use efficiency (iWUE) was lower than in 2011 due to increased water use. These results suggest that while SDI may have some advantages over traditional SUR, environmental factors during growth can significantly impact the efficiency and productivity of each system.

scholarly journals Interaction Between Water and Nitrogen Application on Yields and Water-use Efficiency of Tomato and Pepper in Sandy Soil

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 981C-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincoln Zotarelli ◽  
Johannes Scholberg ◽  
Michael Dukes ◽  
Hannah Snyder ◽  
Rafael Munoz-Carpena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Irrigation Treatments ◽  
Fertilizer Rates

Several practices have been adopted to minimize water use and potential N leaching of vegetable production systems, including use of drip irrigation, plastic mulch, and fertigation. However, these practices may not be adequate on sandy soils with poor water and nutrient retention capacities. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the interactive effects of irrigation practices and fertilizer rates on yield, fertilizer requirements, and N-leaching of pepper and tomato production systems. Bell pepper and tomato were planted on plastic mulched to evaluate the effects of three nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (154, 192, 288 kg·ha -1 N for pepper vs. 166, 208, and 312 kg·ha-1 N for tomato) and three irrigation scheduling methods were evaluated. Depending on sensor readings, soil moisture sensor (SMS) irrigation treatments allowed up to five watering events per day where as for the fixed duration treatment irrigation was applied once a day. For tomato, the effect of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) was also evaluated. Compared to TIME, use of SMS control system reduced water use by 29& to 44% and 37% to 66% for tomato and pepper, respectively. Tomato yield was significantly higher on SMS and SDI treatments compared to TIME treatments. For pepper yield and biomass accumulation were not affected by irrigation treatments. The average yields were 24.6 and 27.8 Mg·ha-1 of fresh marketable fruits for pepper and tomato, respectively. Nitrogen rate did not affect yield and optimal yield N rate did not affect yield for either crop. On average, SMS treatments increased irrigation water use efficiency 2–3 times compared to TIME treatments for both tomato and pepper.

Efficiency of water and nutrient use in containerised plants irrigated by overhead, drip or capillary irrigation

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. B. Goodwin ◽  
M. Murphy ◽  
P. Melville ◽  
W. Yiasoumi
Keyword(s):  
Controlled Release ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
The Other ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Nutrient Use ◽  
Overhead Irrigation ◽  
Significant Difference

This paper reports an assessment of the potential of an irrigation system based on capillary matting in comparison to the industry standard, overhead irrigation, and to drip irrigation, for plants growing in pots. The systems were evaluated on the basis of the dry weights of the plants grown, water-use efficiency (volume of runoff) and the environmental impact of the systems. The environmental impact was assessed by the volumes of runoff and the amounts of nitrate nitrogen and phosphate phosphorus in the runoff. Rose and tomato grew on capillary mat as large as or larger than (dry weight) with drip or overhead irrigation when controlled-release fertiliser (Osmocote Plus, 5–6 month release) was mixed through the medium. Lavender and pansy showed no significant difference between the irrigation systems. However, when the fertiliser was applied to the surface or in the dibble hole, pansy, dianthus and anisodontea grew larger with overhead than with capillary irrigation.The volumes of water used by the drip and capillary systems were about equal at 2.6 and 3.3 L/pot.week, respectively, as were the volumes of runoff produced, 0.43 and 0.39 L/pot.week, but both were far lower than the corresponding values for the overhead system, where water use was 7.13 L/pot.week, and the runoff 3.00�L/pot.week. At the end of the trial, plants grown with capillary irrigation had a high electrical conductivity in the surface layers of the pots when controlled-release fertiliser was either mixed evenly through (1997, EC 2.04 dS/m) or was applied to the top of the mix (1998, EC 0.87 dS/m). On the other hand, with overhead watering the EC was more evenly distributed (1997, EC range 0.30–0.36 dS/m) or highest at the bottom of the pot (1998, EC 0.97 dS/m). The concentrations of nutrients in the runoff from the capillary mat system, nitrate nitrogen 6.2 mg/L and phosphate phosphorus 0.12 mg/L, were lower than those for either of the other systems, overhead giving 9.7 and 0.49 mg/L and drip 11.5 and 0.49 mg/L of nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. Total nutrient leaching per week for nitrate and phosphate, respectively, was 320 and 16.2 mg/m2 for overhead, 53.9 and 3.1 mg/m2 for drip and 26.4 and 0.50 mg/m2 for capillary irrigation. Thus, capillary irrigation gave more efficient water and nutrient use and reduced nutrient contamination of the environment compared with the drip or overhead irrigation systems.

scholarly journals Towards to understanding the preliminary loss and absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus under different treatments in cotton drip- irrigation in northwest Xinjiang

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0249730
Author(s):  
Honghong Ma ◽  
Shenghai Pu ◽  
Pan Li ◽  
Xinxiang Niu ◽  
Xianglin Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Nitrogen Loss ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Cotton Field ◽  
Nitrogen Application ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Total N ◽  
Plastic Mulching

Drip irrigation under plastic mulch is widely used in Xinjiang, Northwest China. It can not only save water, but also reduce nutrient loss and improve fertilizer utilization. However, it is not clear whether the leaching occurs or not, what is the leaching amount? What is the relationship among fertilization, irrigation regimes, loss, cotton absorption, and cotton field under different fertilization and irrigation management under drip irrigation? Studying these issues not only provides reference for the formulation of fertilization and irrigation systems, but also is of great significance for reducing non-point source pollution. A long-term positioning experiment was conducted from 2009 to 2012 in Baotou Lake farm in Korla City, Xinjiang, with drip-irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under different N fertilizer and irrigation amounts. The treatments were designed comprising Control (CK,0 N, 0 P, and 0 K with an irrigation of 480 mm) and the following three other treatments: (1) Conventional fertilize and irrigation (CON, 357 kg N hm–2, 90 kg P hm–2, 0 kg K hm–2, and irrigation of 480 mm); (2) Conventional fertilization and Optimizing irrigation (OPT, 357 kg N hm–2, 90 kg P hm–2, 62 kg K hm–2, and irrigation of 420 mm); and (3) Optimizing fertilization and irrigation (OPTN, 240 kg N hm–2, 65 kg P hm–2, 62 kg K hm–2, and irrigation of 420 mm). The results found that the leaching would occur in arid area under drip irrigation. The loss of total N, NH4+, P, N and P loss coefficient was higher under conventional fertilize and irrigation treatment while the loss of NO3- was higher under conventional fertilization and optimizing irrigation treatment. The correlations among N, P absorption by cotton, loss of NH4+ and total phosphorus were quadratic function. The total nitrogen loss and cumulative nitrogen application was lineally correlated. The loss of NO3- and cumulative nitrogen application was exponential. The nitrogen and phosphorus absorption by cotton under conventional fertilization and optimizing irrigation treatment was 24.53% and 35.86% higher than that in conventional fertilize and irrigation treatment, respectively. The cotton yield under conventional fertilization and optimizing irrigation treatment obtained higher than that in other three treatments. Therefore, the conventional fertilization and optimizing irrigation treatment was the optimal management of water and fertilizer in our study. These results demonstrate that reasonable water, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilize could not only effectively promote the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus, but also reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses under drip fertigation and plastic mulching.

scholarly journals Frost/Freeze Protection of Strawberries Grown on Black Plastic Mulch

HortScience ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.B. Poling ◽  
H. Pat Fuller ◽  
K.B. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Spring Frost ◽  
Time Of Application ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Overhead Irrigation ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Spring Frosts ◽  
Eastern North Carolina ◽  
Freeze Protection

Floating rowcovers composed of extruded polypropylene, spunbonded polypropylene, and polyester were used in 1987-88 in eastern North Carolina for cold protection of strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) growing in annual hill culture on black plastic mulch. Treatments consisted of floating rowcovers in either winter, spring, or both with and without overhead irrigation for spring frost/freeze protection, in addition to irrigated and nonirrigated unprotected plots. Winter rowcovers increased air temperatures by 1 to 2C without advancing bloom or harvest date. Significant blossom temperature differences relative to rowcover materials (≈ 1.5C) and irrigation use (≈ 1.5 to 3.0C) were detected over the course of six spring frosts. Time of application of covers (winter or spring) and irrigation in spring interacted in their effects on early yields (25 Apr.-5 May). However, rowcover and irrigation treatments did not have a significant effect on total marketable yield, yield per plant, or berry mass. In the absence of higher prices for early than late-season fruit or of more severe environmental extremes than experienced in the current study, it would be difficult to justify the added expense of rowcovers.

YIELD OF BANANA GROWN WITH SUPPLEMENTAL DRIP-IRRIGATION ON AN ULTISOL

1998 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. GOENAGA ◽  
H. IRIZARRY
Keyword(s):  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
The Third ◽  
Class A ◽  
Weight Yield ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Class A Pan

A three-year study was conducted on an Ultisol to determine the water requirement, yield and fruit-quality traits of three ratoon crops (R1, R2, R3) of ‘Grande Naine’ banana (Musa acuminata Colla, AAA group) subjected to four levels of irrigation. The irrigation treatments were based on Class A pan factors ranging from 0.0 (rainfed) to 1.0 in increments of 0.25. When needed, drip irrigation was supplied three times a week on alternate days. Results showed significant (p < 0.01) irrigation treatment and crop effects on bunch weight, yield, bunch mean hand weight, weight and fruit diameter of the third and last hands, and length of fruits of the third hand. Highest marketable yield (47.9 t ha−1) was obtained from the R2 crop with water application according to a pan factor of 1.0. It was concluded that irrigating the crop according to a pan factor of 1.0 was sufficient to justify the investment of a drip-irrigation system for a farm in the mountain region.

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