Abstract
The growing scarcity and competition for water resources requires the urgent implementation of measures to ensure their rational use. Farmers need affordable irrigation tools that allow them to take advantage of scientific know-how to improve water use efficiency in their common irrigation practices. The aim of this study is to test under field conditions, and adjust where required, an automated irrigation system that allows the establishment of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies in a stone fruit orchard. For this, an automated device with an algorithm which combines water-balance-based irrigation scheduling with a feedback adjustment mechanism using 15 capacitive sensors for continuous soil moisture measurement was used. The tests were carried out in 2016 and 2017 in Vegas Bajas del Guadiana (Extremadura, Spain) on an experimental plot of ‘Red Beaut’, an early-maturing Japanese plum cultivar. Three irrigation treatments were established: control, RDI and automatic. The control treatment was scheduled to cover crop water needs, a postharvest deficit irrigation (40% crop evapotranspiration (ETc)) strategy was applied in the RDI treatment, while the Automatic treatment simulated the RDI but without human intervention. After two years of testing, the automated system was able to “simulate” the irrigation scheduling programmed by a human expert without the need for human intervention.
Highlights
The demand for irrigation water in agricultural systems is an important area of concern, especially given the growing scarcity of available water resources and the need to compete with other consumer sectors [1]
The traffic light system displays whether the irrigation system is operating correctly or if there has been a fault in a sensor, the irrigation system, seasonal plan, battery system, or communication system
The sensor situated between drippers (I-30-1) responded rapidly to low irrigation inputs, as did the sensors situated below the drippers, but with a comparatively delayed reaction and with a smaller amplitude between minimum and maximum values
Summary
The demand for irrigation water in agricultural systems is an important area of concern, especially given the growing scarcity of available water resources and the need to compete with other consumer sectors [1]. Appropriate and efficient irrigation water management and use practices are urgently required and should be aimed at ensuring both economic and environmental benefits [2]. Crop water needs vary spatially and temporally depending on meteorological conditions, crop type and crop growth stage [3]. Irrigation management efficiency depends to a large extent on the ability to adapt water inputs to the variable needs of the plants. A wide range of sensors are available on the market today which are able to provide real time information about the plant and its surroundings. The correct use of such information for decision-making purposes can be highly complex because of the need for specialist know-how and a considerable dedication of time and effort. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can contribute to resolving this
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