Soil Solution Dynamics for Drip Fertigation Management in Bell Pepper Crop

Abstract

The success of drip irrigation compared to various other irrigation systems is attributed primarily to its superior water delivery to plant root zones and high efficiency in water use. This work aimed at studying the distribution and storage of soil solution in the soil profile, and the uptake of nutrients through the roots of pepper plants, irrigated through a drip fertigation system at two flow rates, 2 and 4 L h -1 . The experiment was conducted within a greenhouse with plants grown in a medium-textured Oxisol for 120 days. Water and ionic concentration were concurrently measured using TDR probes in the soil profile (at depths ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 m). The root system of plants irrigated with drippers of 4 L h -1 had an area of 69.3 cm 2 while plants irrigated with drippers of 2 L h -1 presented an area of 45.2 cm 2 . The yield of pepper plants were 0.19 kg m -2 and 0.27 kg m -2 for treatments with 2 L h -1 and 4 L h -1 , respectively, supporting the results obtained for nutrients distribution and root development. There was higher tendency for nutrient loss in the treatment with 2 L h -1 , increasing risks of groundwater contamination. The dripper with flow rate of 4 L h -1 was more efficient at distributing and storing water and nutrients in the soil profile, which improved the crop yield. RESUMOA irrigação por gotejamento possibilita a aplicação de água e nutrientes na região das raízes da planta e tem contribuído para obtenção de elevada eficiência no consumo da água e dos nutrientes. Essa vantagem tem contribuído pelo aumento no interesse na adoção deste método de irrigação em relação a outros, no entanto, adequado manejo da água e dos nutrientes deve ser adotado. Neste contexto, o objetivo foi avaliar a distribuição e armazenamento de solução do solo e a absorção de nutrientes de raízes de plantas de pimentão aplicados por fertirrigação em irrigação por gotejamento com emissores com vazões distintas, 2 e 4 L h -1 . O experimento

Influence of organic mulching on drip irrigation management of cabbage cultivation

“…In this test, flow rates were measured in four emitters per bed, one per lateral row. Water application uniformity was estimated using the flow rate of each assessed emitter as a function of the Christiansen's uniformity coefficient (CUC), determined by the Equation 1 described by Andrade et al (2017) and Santoro et al (2016):…”

“…Irrigation systems need to be operated with high levels of uniformity and efficiency in order to reduce water losses, leading to a rational food production in a growing world population. In this scenario, the search for more efficient irrigation methods that require fewer water resources and provide better results in productivity and quality has been intensified (Santoro et al, 2016).…”