How to Conduct an On-farm Dye Test and Use the Results to Improve Drip Irrigation Management in Vegetable Production

Improving irrigation management in vegetable crop production reduces production costs, saves water, and reduces the risk of nutrient leaching. As water movement in the root zone below mulched beds is difficult to see, injecting soluble dye through the drip irrigation system provides a simple and practical method to visualize water movement in the soil. Understanding water movement in raised beds is essential for improving irrigation scheduling and nutrient delivery. This document is HS980 one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: July 2004. HS980/HS222: How to Conduct an On-Farm Dye Test and Use the Results to Improve Drip Irrigation Management in Vegetable Production (ufl.edu)

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On-Farm Demonstration of Soil Water Movement in Vegetables Grown with Plasticulture

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-hs251-2005 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 2005 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Eric H. Simonne ◽

David W. Studstill ◽

Robert C. Hochmuth ◽

J. T. Jones ◽

C. W. Starling

Keyword(s):

Water Movement ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Growing Season ◽

Cooperative Extension Service ◽

Publication Date ◽

University Of Florida ◽

Nitrate Distribution ◽

On Farm ◽

Soil Water Movement

The goals of this project were to demonstrate to cooperating growers how irrigation and fertilizer management are linked together and how management may prevent water movement below the root zone. More specifically, the objectives were to: establish partnerships with three key growers and discuss fertilizer and irrigation management, determine the position of the water front throughout the growing season, diagnose crop nutritional status, and determine nitrate distribution in the soil profile at the end of the growing season. This document is HS1008, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: March 2005.

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Impact of drip irrigation scheduling on growth, yield and water use efficiency in chilli crop under western region of Uttar Pradesh

International Journal of Agricultural Invention ◽

10.46492/ijai/2017.2.1.16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (01) ◽

pp. 72-77

Author(s):

Ram Kumar ◽

Joginder Singh

Keyword(s):

Drip Irrigation ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Block Design ◽

Total Yield ◽

Maximum Yield ◽

Growth Yield ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Green Pepper ◽

Gm Plant

Drip irrigation is basically precise and slow application of water in the form of discrete continuous drops, sprayed through mechanical devices, called emitters into the root zone of the plant. The field experiment on Impact of fertigation and drip system layout were conducted at Research farm at IFTM University Moradabad (UP). The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with treatments. In chilli maximum yield of 812 g/plant which is worked out as 0.006 t/ha was observed for the treatment T2. Even though the yield for the treatment T2 was high and was due to the reduction in the quantity of material for drip irrigation system. At harvesting time, samples of green pepper fruits were randomly harvested from each plot to measure fruit length, fruit diameter. In addition, total weight of fruits in each treatment were recorded by harvesting pepper fruits twice weekly and then the total yield as Kg/fed., was calculated. The maximum yield of crop 900 gm/plant and minimum of yield 600 gm/plant and total yield 52270 gm (52.270 kg).

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Drip Irrigation Management and Scheduling for Vegetable Production

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.2.1.32 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 32-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

G.A. Clark

Keyword(s):

Drip Irrigation ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Management Program ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Hydraulic Characteristics ◽

Evaporative Demand ◽

Cultural Constraints ◽

Operation And Management

Proper management of vegetable drip-irrigation systems requires knowledge of soil hydraulic characteristics, plant-growth and water-use characteristics, and evaporative demand. The resultant schedule must integrate these properties and conform to existing irrigation system and cultural constraints. Irrigation management must be coupled with the fertilizer management program to avoid excessive water applications that leach plant nutrients. Because drip irrigation applies water to discrete locations along the plant row, limited irrigated areas can result, and this is an important consideration for irrigation system design, cultural practices and management, and irrigation system operation and management.

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Irrigation Scheduling As a Means of Applying the Right Water Amount and Monitoring Soil Moisture for Vegetable Crops Grown in Florida in the BMP Era

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-hs166-2003 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 2003 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Eric Simonne ◽

George Hochmuth

Keyword(s):

Production Management ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Cooperative Extension Service ◽

Publication Date ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Irrigation Amount ◽

University Of Florida ◽

The Right

This publication is one of a series entitled Fertilizer and Irrigation Management in the BMP Era. This series is divided into nine principles described in the Introduction Chapter (HOS-897). This publication is part of Principle 5, "Irrigation Amount Must Reflect Crop Water Use ... No More, No Less." BMP implementation requires a global approach to production management. However, for presentation purposes, each aspect of vegetable production is described in a separate publication. This document is HS909, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: January 2003. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs166

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Efficient IoT-Based Control for a Smart Subsurface Irrigation System to Enhance Irrigation Management of Date Palm

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21123942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 3942

Author(s):

Maged Mohammed ◽

Khaled Riad ◽

Nashi Alqahtani

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Date Palm ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Water Amount

Drought is the most severe problem for agricultural production, and the intensity of this problem is increasing in most cultivated areas around the world. Hence improving water productivity is the primary purpose of sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to use cloud IoT solutions to control a modern subsurface irrigation system for improving irrigation management of date palms in arid regions. To achieve this goal, we designed, constructed, and validated the performance of a fully automated controlled subsurface irrigation system (CSIS) to monitor and control the irrigation water amount remotely. The CSIS is based on an autonomous sensors network to instantly collect the climatic parameters and volumetric soil water content in the study area. Therefore, we employed the ThingSpeak cloud platform to host sensor readings, perform algorithmic analysis, instant visualize the live data, create event-based alerts to the user, and send instructions to the IoT devices. The validation of the CSIS proved that automatically irrigating date palm trees controlled by the sensor-based irrigation scheduling (S-BIS) is more efficient than the time-based irrigation scheduling (T-BIS). The S-BIS provided the date palm with the optimum irrigation water amount at the opportune time directly in the functional root zone. Generally, the S-BIS and T-BIS of CSIS reduced the applied irrigation water amount by 64.1% and 61.2%, respectively, compared with traditional surface irrigation (TSI). The total annual amount of applied irrigation water for CSIS with S-BIS method, CSIS with T-BIS method, and TSI was 21.04, 22.76, and 58.71 m3 palm−1, respectively. The water productivity at the CSIS with S-BIS (1.783 kg m−3) and T-BIS (1.44 kg m−3) methods was significantly higher compared to the TSI (0.531 kg m−3). The CSIS with the S-BIS method kept the volumetric water content in the functional root zone next to the field capacity compared to the T-BIS method. The deigned CSIS with the S-BIS method characterized by the positive impact on the irrigation water management and enhancement on fruit yield of the date palm is quite proper for date palm irrigation in the arid regions.

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Assessing the Effectiveness of Variable-Rate Drip Irrigation on Water Use Efficiency in a Vineyard in Northern Italy

Water ◽

10.3390/w11101964 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1964 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ortuani ◽

Facchi ◽

Mayer ◽

Bianchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Water Use ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Third Sector ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Variable Rate ◽

Drip Irrigation System

Although many studies in the literature illustrate the numerous devices and methodologies nowadays existing for assessing the spatial variability within agricultural fields, and indicate the potential for variable-rate irrigation (VRI) in vineyards, only very few works deal with the implementation of VRI systems to manage such heterogeneity, and these studies are usually conducted in experimental fields for research aims. In this study, a VR drip irrigation system was designed for a 1-ha productive vineyard in Northern Italy and managed during the agricultural season 2018, to demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness of a water supply differentiated according to the spatial variability detected in field. Electrical resistivity maps obtained by means of an electro-magnetic induction sensor were used to detect four homogeneous zones with similar soil properties. In each zone, a soil profile was opened, and soil samples were taken and analyzed in laboratory. Two irrigation management zones (MZs) were identified by grouping homogeneous zones on the basis of their hydrological properties, and an irrigation prescription map was built consistently with the total available water (TAW) content in the root zone of the two MZs. The designed drip irrigation system consisted of three independent sectors: the first two supplied water to the two MZs, while the third sector (reference sector) was managed following the farmer’s habits. During the season, irrigation in the first two sectors was fine-tuned using information provided by soil moisture probes installed in each sector. Results showed a reduction of water use by 18% compared to the ‘reference’ sector without losses in yield and product quality, and a grape’s maturation more homogeneous in time.

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WET BULB FORMATION IN SANDY AND CLAY TEXTURES UNDER DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Irriga ◽

10.15809/irriga.2020v25n4p735-746 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 735-746

Author(s):

Carla Effegem ◽

JOABE MARTINS DE SOUZA ◽

ROBSON BONOMO

Keyword(s):

Drip Irrigation ◽

Water Movement ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Time Domain Reflectometry ◽

Drip Irrigation System ◽

Coastal Zones ◽

Bulb Formation ◽

Sandy Clay ◽

E Mail

WET BULB FORMATION IN SANDY AND CLAY TEXTURES UNDER DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM CARLA EFFEGEM1; JOABE MARTINS DE SOUZA2 E ROBSON BONOMO3 [1]Mestranda em Agricultura Tropical, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agricultura Tropical, UFES/CEUNES, BR-101, km 60 - Litorâneo, CEP 29932-540, São Mateus, ES, Brasil, e-mail: [email protected]. 2Pós Doutorando, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agricultura Tropical, UFES/CEUNES, BR-101, km 60 – Litorâneo, CEP 29932-540, São Mateus, ES, Brasil, e-mail: [email protected]. 3Prof. Doutor, Depto de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, UFES/CEUNES, BR-101, km 60 – Litorâneo, CEP 29932-540, São Mateus, ES, Brasil, e-mail: [email protected]. 1 ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the formation of wet bulbs in sandy and clayey cultivated soil. The evaluations were made in two Coffea Canephora cultivated areas, the soil texture being sandy to loam (area 01) or sandy clay (area 02) typical of coastal zones. For the wet bulb characterization, to measure soil moisture, several cylindrical access-tubes were mounted for use in time-domain reflectometry. The tubes were arranged at six points in relation to the plant, being one point on the planting line between two plants and five points on the planting line (0.10; 0.40; 0.70; 1.10 e 1.50 m of the plant), the measurements conducted in four depths ranges (0.00-0.20; 0.20-0.40; 0.40-0.60 e 0.60-0.80 m) with three replicates. The wet bulb presented vertical formation in the area with sandy to loam texture and reached a depth between 0.40 and 0.50 m, with a range of up to 0.10 m between coffee lines. The wet bulb formation occurred in the horizontal direction in the area with sandy clay texture, reaching depth values of 0.20 to 0.30 m, with a range of 0.10 to 0.15 m between lines. Keywords: drip irrigation, irrigation management, water movement in the soil EFFEGEM, C.; SOUZA, J. M. de; BONOMO, R. BULBO MOLHADO EM TEXTURA ARENOSA E ARGILOSA SOB IRRIGAÇÃO LOCALIZADA 2 RESUMO Objetivou-se avaliar a formação do bulbo molhado em solo arenoso e argiloso cultivado, sob irrigação localizada. As avaliações ocorreram em duas áreas cultivadas com cafeeiro Conilon, sendo o solo de textura de arenosa a média (área 01) e textura argilo arenosa (área 02), típico de tabuleiros. Para a caracterização do bulbo molhado foi realizada instalação de tubos de acesso para medição da umidade do solo por meio da reflectometria no domínio do tempo. Os tubos foram dispostos em seis pontos em relação à planta, sendo um ponto na linha de plantio do cafeeiro entre duas plantas, e em cinco pontos na entre linha (0,10; 0,40; 0,70; 1,10 e 1,50 m da planta), sendo as medições realizadas em quatro faixas de profundidades (0,00-0,20; 0,20-0,40; 0,40-0,60 e 0,60-0,80 m) com três repetições. O bulbo molhado apresentou formação para a área com textura arenosa a média na direção vertical, atingido profundidade entre 0,40 a 0,50 m, com alcance de até 0,10 m na entrelinha do cafeeiro. A área com textura argilo arenosa a formação do bulbo se deu na direção horizontal, atingido profundidade entre 0,20 a 0,30 m, com alcance de 0,10 a 0,15 m na entrelinha do cafeeiro. Palavras-chave: gotejamento, manejo da irrigação, movimento de água no solo

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Overhead and Drip Irrigation System Effects on Tomato Growth and Yield in California’s Central Valley

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.24.6.637 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 637-644 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jeffrey P. Mitchell ◽

Anil Shrestha ◽

Karen Klonsky ◽

Tom A. Turini ◽

Kurt J. Hembree

Keyword(s):

Drip Irrigation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Crop Growth ◽

Production Costs ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Water Evaporation ◽

Labor Costs

Despite the worldwide importance of overhead, mechanized irrigation for crop production, the potential of this technology has been poorly studied in California. Field studies were conducted at Five Points, CA, in 2010 and 2012 to compare the effects of overhead irrigation (OH) and drip irrigation (DR) on transplanted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) crop growth and yield. Similar amounts of water were applied to both systems in each year to match crop evapotranspiration demands. Crop growth measured by percent canopy coverage and aboveground biomass accumulation were similar between the OH and DR systems early in the growing season in both years but were lower in the OH system during the second half of each season. Tomato yield was 38% greater in 2012 than in 2010 and averaged over the 2 years, 48% higher in the DR than in the OH systems, respectively, due presumably to the higher soil water evaporation losses of the OH system relative to the DR system and also, we propose, to the ability of the drip system to very precisely apply in-season fertigations directly to the crop root zone while OH fertigations were applied at the soil surface and over a greater area. Soluble solids concentration of fruit in 2010 was 5.99% for the DR system and 6.65% for the OH system providing further evidence of water stress in the OH tomatoes. Production costs associated with transitioning from a subsurface drip tomato crop to a sprinkler or surface drip-irrigated crop such as onion (Allium cepa) or garlic (Allium sativum) could be $130 to $420 per acre lower with the OH system compared with the drip system, if yields were maintained. Because operation and labor costs of OH systems are typically lower than those of DR systems, further research on OH irrigation of tomato is warranted to address the shortcomings of OH management that this study has identified.

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Potential and Actual Water Savings through Improved Irrigation Scheduling in Small-Scale Vegetable Production

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9120888 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 888 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christoph Studer ◽

Simon Spoehel

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Small Scale ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Usual Practice ◽

Irrigation Water Use ◽

Small Scale Farmers

Appropriate irrigation scheduling for efficient water use is often a challenge for small-scale farmers using drip irrigation. In a trial with 12 farmers in Sébaco, Nicaragua, two tools to facilitate irrigation scheduling were tested: the Water Chart (a table indicating required irrigation doses) and tensiometers. The study aimed at evaluating if and to what extent simple tools can reduce irrigation water use and improve water productivity in drip-irrigated vegetable (beetroot; Beta vulgaris L.) production compared with the farmers’ usual practice. Irrigation water use was substantially reduced (around 20%) when farmers irrigated according to the tools. However, farmers did not fully adhere to the tool guidance, probably because they feared that their crop would not get sufficient water. Thus they still over-irrigated their crop: between 38% and 88% more water than recommended was used during the treatment period, resulting in 91% to 139% higher water use than required over the entire growing cycle. Water productivity of beetroot production was, therefore, much lower (around 3 kg/m3) than what can be achieved under comparable conditions, although yields were decent. Differences in crop yield and water productivity among treatments were not significant. The simplified Water Chart was not sufficiently understandable to farmers (and technicians), whereas tensiometers were better perceived, although they do not provide any indication on how much water to apply. We conclude that innovations such as drip irrigation or improved irrigation scheduling have to be appropriately introduced, e.g., by taking sufficient time to co-produce a common understanding about the technologies and their possible usefulness, and by ensuring adequate follow-up support.

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