Abstract
Water movement in a soil–plant system was evaluated based on capillary flow in a modified subsurface irrigation system that incorporates a plant-water measuring device. Water from a reservoir tank located underneath the plant pot was supplied to the root zone through a fibrous medium. Evapotranspiration was measured from the water uptake and evaluations were performed based on soil moisture distribution and mass balance. Potential evapotranspiration was used as a reference for the plant–water uptake. Data were obtained from a test plant provided with the modified subsurface irrigation system. The plant was grown in a phytotron under controlled air temperature and humidity, and a comparison was made for different levels of soil moisture condition. The experimental results confirmed the operational efficiency of the modified subsurface irrigation system for precision irrigation.
Highlights
Recent droughts and severe floods around the world have led to increased concerns about water shortages for agriculture and for industry and daily life
The results show that the volumetric water content (VWC) for the soil in Pot A decreased from Day 45 to Day 55
The crop-based irrigation system that combines both a continuous water supply and a sensing system for the plant-water requirement evaluated in this study based on -11 and -3 cm of water supply depths
Summary
Recent droughts and severe floods around the world have led to increased concerns about water shortages for agriculture and for industry and daily life. Watersaving management is a key technology for arid and drought-prone areas and for disaster areas. This was the motivation to develop a site-specific irrigation system to meet the water demand for plant growth by applying precise control. Subsurface drip irrigation management is based on the soil moisture deficit determined by using a soil–water balance model or the crop-water requirement estimated using the energy balance method (Ayars et al 1999; Jones 2004; Bonachela et al 2006). Progress has been made by applying leaf temperature and sap flow measurement methods (Giorio and Giorio 2003; Jones and Leinonen 2003)
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