Abstract
The use of new technologies to meet the demands of the agricultural market is increasing; however, technical information on application is scarce for some areas of knowledge, including irrigation management. The objective of this study is to evaluate an automatic irrigation system with capacitance sensors connected to a local wireless network for the semiautomatic management of irrigation in tomato crops compared with a manual control system based on time-domain reflectometry (TDR)-type sensors. The experiments were carried out in a protected environment, and the seedlings were transplanted following surface drip lines. The study adopted a completely randomized block design consisting of two treatments and 12 repetitions, totaling 24 subplots. The evaluated treatments were an irrigation management system with TDR sensors and a manually-programmed controller, and an irrigation management system with capacitance sensors and a semiautomatically-programmed controller connected to a digital assistant. Quantitative and qualitative parameters as well as the green and dry matter production were evaluated in each treatment. The results indicated that both sensors were effective in managing irrigation in tomato crops. Furthermore, both systems were accurate, and the Alexa® digital assistant was efficient in programming the GreenIQ® semiautomatic system by voice commands.
Highlights
Tomatoes are one of the most consumed vegetables in Brazil and worldwide and are relevant in the Brazilian market because of their high commercial value
The objective of this study is to evaluate an automatic irrigation system with capacitance sensors connected to a local wireless network for the semiautomatic management of irrigation in cherry tomato
time-domain reflectometry (TDR), and capacitance sensors were useful in monitoring soil moisture between permanent wilting point and field capacity at a soil depth of 0–0.10 m (Figure 6)
Summary
Tomatoes are one of the most consumed vegetables in Brazil and worldwide and are relevant in the Brazilian market because of their high commercial value. In the segment of table tomatoes, the cultivation of cherry tomatoes has increased in Brazil in recent years, improving producers’ income compared to regular-size tomatoes (Andrade et al, 2017). Three types of cherry tomatoes are commercially available to date: Cherry, Grape, and Italian, which differ in taste, size, shape, color, and the amount of soluble solids. Grape tomatoes have a higher amount of soluble solids than the other types and are valued for their sweetness (Negrisoli et al, 2015). In Brazil, protected cultivation gained prominence by allowing normalizing tomato production throughout the year, reducing price oscillations in the off-season
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