A New System to Monitor Water and Nutrient Use in Pot-inpot Nursery Production Systems

Abstract

Abstract Techniques are needed to monitor nursery production practices for proper use of water resources and nutrient management. An experimental system to examine water quality, irrigation efficiency and drainage from pot-in-pot nursery container production was established in a commercial nursery. The system mainly consisted of 50 pot-in-pot containers with 50 trees irrigated with micro spray stakes, drainage water measurement devices, container-substrate moisture probes, thermocouples, a weather station, and data loggers. Tests indicated the system was capable to measure irrigation and rainfall inputs, drainage water loss, container substrate moisture content and temperature, leachate of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in drainage water, and tree growth in pot-in-pot nursery production. The system provided a method to not only monitor the loss of water and nutrients but also continuously monitor the substrate temperature and moisture content during four seasons of a year to evaluate potentials of winter injury or summer heat damage to roots for pot-in-pot nursery production.