New Trends in the Fertigation Management of Irrigated Vegetable Crops

Abstract

Abstract:The use of fertigation, coupled with micro-irrigation, has continued to increase since it was first introduced in horticultural cropping systems. This combination provides a technical solution whereby nutrients and water can be supplied to the crop with high precision in terms of time and space, thereby allowing high nutrient use efficiency. However, the correct estimation of crop nutrient and water needs is fundamental to obtaining precise plant nutrition and high nutrient use efficiency in fertigated cropping systems. This paper illustrates the state-of-the-art and new perspectives for optimal nutrient management of vegetable crops cultivated under fertigation regimes. An overall description is reported for the most valuable technologies and techniques based on simulation models, soil testing, plant testing, and related decision support systems that can be adopted for efficient fertigation. However, it should be highlighted that only a few of the above technologies and techniques are practically available and/or easy to use by growers. Therefore, much more attention should be paid in the future to the transfer of research knowledge to farmers and technical advisors.

To Stop Nitrogen Overdose in Soilless Tomato Crop: A Way to Promote Fruit Quality without Affecting Fruit Yield

“…− [13]. Except from adjustments of EC (which may also lead to yield decrease, [10]), fertilization recipes optimized for fruit quality has not been intensively studied; old recipes are mainly used based on growers' experiences [14]. Worldwide, tomato is one of the most important crops, and its consumption is still rising.…”

Water Harvesting as a Technological Innovation and Greater Solving of Climatic Change Impact to Supply Fertigation

“…The potential for reduced fertilizer losses (due to immobilization within or leaching below the root zone) by supplying small amount often. Besides advantages of fertigation where have several disadvantaged these include [15]- [18]: a. Greater capital costs with the equipment needed to dissolve and inject the fertilizer into the irrigation water b.…”

Sensing Technologies for Precision Phenotyping in Vegetable Crops: Current Status and Future Challenges

“…In the above scenario, it is sometimes difficult to discern which agronomic variable is really influencing the plant status at the end of the crop operative management, and even more difficult is converting the stress signal to practical applications to restore optimal growing conditions (e.g., quantity of fertilizers and water or pesticide, optimal temperature and radiation level, etc.). However, there are examples of efficient crop management based on sensor applications [18]. The use of PRSs for plant phenotyping appears quite effective in achieving the scope of genotypic selection, where the variables influencing the observed plant performances are artificially controlled and, therefore, nonspecific physiological responses can be directly linked to specific treatments.…”

“…Many PRS-based monitoring systems, successfully applied in phenotyping studies, very often were originally developed or planned for other scopes in horticulture. In fact, many devices come, or are derived, from other application areas that mostly regard crop management-in particular, plant pathogen defence and plant nutrition and irrigation [15,18,19]-other than plant physiology.…”

“…In the second case, plants are instead transported to the imaging station. This system is generally applied in indoor The background idea in the adoption of PRS-based technologies for plant monitoring lies in the concept of "speaking plant" according to which plants are themselves revelatory of their own physiological status detectable through PRS measurements [17,18]. Many PRS-based monitoring systems, successfully applied in phenotyping studies, very often were originally developed or planned for other scopes in horticulture.…”