A Variable Rate Drip Irrigation Prototype for Precision Irrigation

A new Variable Rate Drip Irrigation (VRDI) emitter that monitors individual water drops was designed, built, and tested. This new emitter controllers water application directly by monitoring the volume applied in contrast to uniform drip irrigation systems that control water application indirectly by pressure compensation and operational times. Prior approaches assumed irrigation volumes based on flow rates and time and typically did not verify the applied amount of water applied at each water outlet. The new VRDI emitter self-monitors the total volume of water applied and halts the flow once the desired total water application has been achieved. This study performed a test for a new VRDI emitter design with two inner diameters of 0.11 cm and 0.12 cm and two outer diameters 0.3 cm and 0.35 cm compared to a commercial drip emitter. Laboratory tests verify that the integrated volume measurements of the VRDI system are independent of pressure. Conversely, the flow rates of the commercial pressure-compensated drip lines were not independent of pressure. These results demonstrate that this form of VRDI is technically feasible and is shown to be energy efficient, requiring lower system operating pressures than pressure-compensated lines. The VRDI system can reduce water consumption and related water costs.

Digital paradigm of innovative development of the agromeliorative sphere in modern conditions

The article substantiates the need to implement the innovative direction of the domestic agro-reclamation complex development, which is particularly relevant in the conditions of active digitalization of agricultural production. The directions of innovative development of agro-reclamation activities based on the use of digital technologies, in particular, related to the formation of precision irrigation systems, are studied. The article substantiates the prospects of using innovative tools of land reclamation activities aimed at ensuring the interaction of an expanded range of stakeholders.

Use of centrifugal pumps with shielded asynchronous motors in precision irrigation systems for precision agriculture

Precision irrigation in the context of precision farming principles should be based on a systematic approach to achieve the targets of meeting the average spatial needs of crops for water and dissolved nutrients. Precision irrigation, based on advanced irrigation management technologies, combined with remote sensing and simulation technologies, provides a practical solution to the problem of managing the spatial and temporal components of water to meet the specific needs of individual plants. The spatial component of water equivalent to its volume is supplied to the irrigation zone by means of supply water pipes, and the temporary component equivalent to its flow is provided by means of booster pumps. With intensive water consumption, the supply pipelines do not provide the irrigation systems with the required volumes of water. In this case, the static water supply is provided by using storage tanks. In this paper, the need to use a storage tank as a technical component of irrigation management is considered from the point of view of solving a specific management problem related to ensuring the current value of the green mass per unit area of sowing to the level of its calculated value. The use of a storage tank and a group of centrifugal pumps of a special hermetic design as pumping equipment allows you to obtain a closed-type irrigation scheme that has the necessary reserve of static and dynamic stability of the flow characteristics.

An Overview of Precision Irrigation Systems Used in Agriculture

The introduction of precision agriculture increased the efficiency of plant production, while simultaneously reducing the production cost. Precision irrigation can be considered as the combination of sensors, computer software and irrigation systems. Precision irrigation has reduced water consumption and increased yields, and thus increased economic profits. The development of new crop monitoring technologies in precision irrigation has been made possible by the imaging and analysis of real-time crop condition data. The aim of this study was to describe the present state and possibilities of precision irrigation in practice in the EU and Croatia. An overview of the current precision irrigation technologies, as well as its adaptive management to the decision-making in agricultural water management, represents a fundamental basis for future practical studies in precision irrigation.

A narrative review on environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation

Interest in growing cannabis for medical and recreational purposes is increasing worldwide. This study reviews the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation. Results show that both indoor and outdoor cannabis growing is water-intensive. The high water demand leads to water pollution and diversion, which could negatively affect the ecosystem. Studies found out that cannabis plants emit a significant amount of biogenic volatile organic compounds, which could cause indoor air quality issues. Indoor cannabis cultivation is energy-consuming, mainly due to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting. Energy consumption leads to greenhouse gas emissions. Cannabis cultivation could directly contribute to soil erosion. Meanwhile, cannabis plants have the ability to absorb and store heavy metals. It is envisioned that technologies such as precision irrigation could reduce water use, and application of tools such as life cycle analysis would advance understanding of the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation.

Estimation of Evapotranspiration and Water Requirements of Strawberry Plants in Greenhouses Using Environmental Data

Farmers routinely determine irrigation requirements from visual observations and cultivation experience, but this can lead to under- or over-irrigation. To establish precise irrigation technology for strawberry cultivation, the average daily evapotranspiration and water requirements were estimated according to the environmental data: air temperature and humidity from the center of the greenhouses and solar radiation from outside greenhouses. Makkink FAO24 equations (temperature and cloudiness) were used to estimate the evapotranspiration and water requirements. The temperature equation showed higher correlation coefficients in solar radiation (R2 = 0.60), evapotranspiration (R2 = 0.76), and water requirements (R2 = 0.69) than other tested equations. The daily irrigation, calculated from the estimated evapotranspiration, was 3.8 tons/10a. It is possible to develop a precision irrigation system from estimated evapotranspiration during the winter cultivation of “Seolhyang” strawberries in South Korea.