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Sensor-based management of container nursery crops irrigated with fresh or saline water

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  • Incrocci, Luca
  • Marzialetti, Paolo
  • Incrocci, Giorgio
  • Di Vita, Andrea
  • Balendonck, Jos
  • Bibbiani, Carlo
  • Spagnol, Serafino
  • Pardossi, Alberto

Abstract

The objective of this study was to design and test a prototype fertigation controller for the management of container ornamental nursery stocks irrigated with different water sources, including saline water or reclaimed municipal/industrial wastewater. The prototype could schedule irrigation in various ways, i.e. as a time clock, or by means of a soil moisture dielectric sensor, or using a crop evapotranspiration (ET) model. The prototype also monitored the salinity in the root zone using a dielectric sensor that measured both substrate moisture and electrical conductivity (EC), or a probe measuring the EC of the water draining out of the containers. Excessive substrate salinization of the containers irrigated with saline water (containing 10 mM of sodium chloride) was prevented by the automated adoption of a series of measures: irrigation with fresh water or a mixture of fresh water and saline water; progressive increase of irrigation dose for each event, and progressive reduction of fertilizer concentration in the nutrient solution delivered to the crop. The system was tested in three experiments conducted in Pistoia (Italy) between 2008 and 2010 with two ornamental species: Photinia × fraseri Dress (a salt-medium tolerant species) and Prunus laurocerasus L. (a salt-sensitive species). When irrigation with fresh water was controlled with a dielectric sensor or an ET model, total irrigation water use and the loss of both N and P were reduced by 17% to 84% compared with the time-controlled irrigation. The sensor-based control of saline water irrigation reduced the salinity effects on dry matter accumulation in both species; however, it did not prevent the occurrence of leaf damages (leaf scorch) on Prunus plants, which were unmarketable by the end of growing season. On the contrary, no leaf damages were visible on Photinia plants irrigated with saline and/or fresh water, such that all were classified in the top quality market category. The controller developed in this work could be used in commercial nurseries to improve profitability and sustainability of container hardy ornamental nursery stock production.

Suggested Citation

  • Incrocci, Luca & Marzialetti, Paolo & Incrocci, Giorgio & Di Vita, Andrea & Balendonck, Jos & Bibbiani, Carlo & Spagnol, Serafino & Pardossi, Alberto, 2019. "Sensor-based management of container nursery crops irrigated with fresh or saline water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 49-61.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:213:y:2019:i:c:p:49-61
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.09.054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giuseppe Di Vita & Valeria Allegra & Alfonso Silvio ZarbÃ, 2015. "Building scenarios: a qualitative approach to forecasting market developments for ornamental plants," International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(2), pages 130-151.
    2. Valdés, R. & Ochoa, J. & Franco, J.A. & Sánchez-Blanco, M.J. & Bañón, S., 2015. "Saline irrigation scheduling for potted geranium based on soil electrical conductivity and moisture sensors," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 123-130.
    3. Incrocci, Luca & Marzialetti, Paolo & Incrocci, Giorgio & Di Vita, Andrea & Balendonck, Jos & Bibbiani, Carlo & Spagnol, Serafino & Pardossi, Alberto, 2014. "Substrate water status and evapotranspiration irrigation scheduling in heterogenous container nursery crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 30-40.
    4. Sánchez-Guerrero, M.C. & Lorenzo, P. & Medrano, E. & Baille, A. & Castilla, N., 2009. "Effects of EC-based irrigation scheduling and CO2 enrichment on water use efficiency of a greenhouse cucumber crop," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 429-436, March.
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    1. Silvia Traversari & Sonia Cacini & Angelica Galieni & Beatrice Nesi & Nicola Nicastro & Catello Pane, 2021. "Precision Agriculture Digital Technologies for Sustainable Fungal Disease Management of Ornamental Plants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Incrocci, Luca & Thompson, Rodney B. & Fernandez-Fernandez, María Dolores & De Pascale, Stefania & Pardossi, Alberto & Stanghellini, Cecilia & Rouphael, Youssef & Gallardo, Marisa, 2020. "Irrigation management of European greenhouse vegetable crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    3. Sebastián Bañón & Jesús Ochoa & Daniel Bañón & María Fernanda Ortuño & María Jesús Sánchez-Blanco, 2020. "Assessment of the Combined Effect of Temperature and Salinity on the Outputs of Soil Dielectric Sensors in Coconut Fiber," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-14, August.
    4. Antonio Ruiz-Canales & Manuel Ferrández-Villena García, 2021. "Sustainable Applications in Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-5, April.
    5. Abdi, Damon E. & Owen, James S. & Wilson, P. Christopher & Hinz, Francisca O. & Cregg, Bert & Fernandez, R. Thomas, 2021. "Reducing pesticide transport in surface and subsurface irrigation return flow in specialty crop production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).

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