In this study, a soil moisture-based wireless sensor network (SM-WSN) was transferred to support the reduction of irrigation water consumption. Our sensor was designed and validated in a commercial pear orchard during three growing seasons (2019–2021) in which the smart irrigation strategy was implemented and applied. Initially, the micro irrigation system was assessed based on its performance in terms of water distribution uniformity (DU), which was evaluated with field measurements of emitter flow rates. Then, a zoning analysis was carried out to divide the orchard into homogeneous areas according to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that was detected with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and GIS tools. The effect of DU on the vigor of the trees has been identified assuming that the zoning outcome was only associated with the soil spatial variability. Moreover, unlike the ordinary irrigation scheduling applied in the farm, the smart system allowed maintaining the soil water content within a pre-defined optimal range, in which the upper and lower limits corre- sponded respectively to the soil field capacity and the threshold below which water stress occurs. In this way, the smart irrigation management saved up to 50% of the total water supplied with the ordinary scheduling during the three growing seasons. Moreover, the fruits sizes were in line with the standard required by the farmer. Consequently, the adoption of the new technology, which aims at identifying the most appropriate irriga tion management, has the potential to generate positive economic returns and to reduce the environmental impacts.
Productive Response of a Pear Orchard (Pyrus Communis, L.) to the Precision Irrigation Conducted Through a Decision Support System (DSS)
Fatma Hamouda
;Angela Puig Sirera;Lorenzo Bonzi;Damiano Remorini;Giovanni Rallo
2023-01-01
Abstract
In this study, a soil moisture-based wireless sensor network (SM-WSN) was transferred to support the reduction of irrigation water consumption. Our sensor was designed and validated in a commercial pear orchard during three growing seasons (2019–2021) in which the smart irrigation strategy was implemented and applied. Initially, the micro irrigation system was assessed based on its performance in terms of water distribution uniformity (DU), which was evaluated with field measurements of emitter flow rates. Then, a zoning analysis was carried out to divide the orchard into homogeneous areas according to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that was detected with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and GIS tools. The effect of DU on the vigor of the trees has been identified assuming that the zoning outcome was only associated with the soil spatial variability. Moreover, unlike the ordinary irrigation scheduling applied in the farm, the smart system allowed maintaining the soil water content within a pre-defined optimal range, in which the upper and lower limits corre- sponded respectively to the soil field capacity and the threshold below which water stress occurs. In this way, the smart irrigation management saved up to 50% of the total water supplied with the ordinary scheduling during the three growing seasons. Moreover, the fruits sizes were in line with the standard required by the farmer. Consequently, the adoption of the new technology, which aims at identifying the most appropriate irriga tion management, has the potential to generate positive economic returns and to reduce the environmental impacts.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
