Infiltration measurements using a double-ring infiltrometer were conducted on a sandy-loam soil located in Saudi Arabia. The measurements were performed for an undisturbed soil. The effect of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and electric conductivity (EC) of the applied water on infiltration rate was examined. The infiltration rate at the initial time was high, in the order 305 > 240 > 137 > 104 > 65 mm/h for SAR of 3.34, 3.52, 4.14, 4.18, and 7.60, respectively. The results showed that 180 min after the initial time of measurement in the sandy-loam soil, the final infiltration rates were in the range of 21.1-44.0 mm/h for the different qualities of water considered in this study, with an average value of 33.8 mm/h. Hence, the infiltration rate is sensitive to the SAR of the applied water. The final infiltration rate (IR f ) and the final cumulative infiltration depth (Z f ) after 180 min could be predicted using the following equations:
Smart systems could be used to improve irrigation scheduling and save water under Saudi Arabia's present water crisis scenario. This study investigated two types of evapotranspiration-based smart irrigation controllers, SmartLine and Hunter Pro-C2, as promising tools for scheduling irrigation and quantifying plants' water requirements to achieve water savings. The effectiveness of these technologies in reducing the amount of irrigation water was compared with the conventional irrigation scheduling method as a control treatment. The two smart irrigation sensors were used for subsurface irrigation of a tomato crop (cv. Nema) in an arid region. The results showed that the smart controllers significantly reduced the amount of applied water and increased the crop yield. In general, the Hunter Pro-C2 system saved the highest amount of water and produced the highest crop yield, resulting in the highest water irrigation efficiency compared with the SmartLine controller and the traditional irrigation schedule. It can be concluded that the application of advanced scheduling irrigation techniques such as the Hunter controller under arid conditions can realise economic benefits by saving large amounts of irrigation water.Additional key words: smart irrigation; ET controllers; subsurface irrigation; automatic controllers; irrigation water use efficiency; arid region; tomato yields.Abbreviations used: C (control irrigation); Dg (depth of irrigation water); (Dg)t (total depth of irrigation water); DW (dry weight); ET (evapotranspiration); ETr (reference evapotranspiration); FW (fresh weight); H (Hunter controller); ICS (irrigation control system); IWUE (irrigation water used efficiency); Kc (crop coefficient); SDI (subsurface drip irrigation); SL (SmartLine controller); WUE (water use efficiency); Y (total fresh yield).
Here, two types of smart irrigation controllers intended to reduce irrigation water are investigated under Saudi Arabia’s present water crisis scenario. These controllers are specially made for scheduling irrigation and management of landscaping. Consequently, the aim of this study is to adapt the efficient automated controllers to tomato crops, and for extension to other similar agricultural crops. The controllers are based on evapotranspiration and have been shown to be promising tools for scheduling irrigation and quantifying the water required by plants to achieve water savings. In particular, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies (SmartLine SL 1600and Hunter Pro-C) in terms of the amount of irrigation applied and compare them with conventional irrigation scheduling methods. The smart irrigation systems were implemented and tested under drip irrigation and subsurface irrigation for tomato (cv. Nema) in an arid region. The results revealed significant differences between the three irrigation-scheduling methods in both the amount of applied water and yield. For example, each 1 mm water depth applied to the tomato crop via subsurface (or drip) irrigation by SmartLine, Hunter Pro-C, and the control system yielded 129.70 kg (70.33 kg), 161.50 kg (93.47 kg), and 109.78 kg (108.32 kg), respectively. Generally, the data analysis indicates that the Hunter Pro-C system saves water and produces a higher yield with the greatest irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE) of the irrigation scheduling methods considered. Moreover, the results indicate that the subsurface irrigation system produced a higher yield and IWUE than the drip system.
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