Articles
Showcasing a fertigation management strategy for increasing water and nitrogen use efficiency in soil-grown vegetable crops in the FERTINNOWA project
Article number
1253_3
Pages
17 – 24
Language
English
Abstract
FERTINNOWA is an EU-funded H2020 Thematic Network whose principal objective is to bridge the gap between research and implementation at farm level in the field of fertigation.
One of the tasks of this project is to exchange and showcase technologies to improve water and nutrient use efficiency in fertigated crops in different parts of the European Union.
In south-eastern Spain, excessive nitrogen (N) and irrigation application to fertigated, soil-grown vegetable crops in greenhouses has caused appreciable nitrate (NO3–) contamination and over-exploitation of underlying aquifers.
To reduce these problems, a prescriptive-corrective management strategy for optimising N management combined with an automatic system for the activation of irrigation based on tensiometers has been developed as a practical system for potential adoption by growers.
The proposed management system includes the use of a decision support system (DSS), VegSyst-DSS, for the calculation of crop N fertiliser requirements combined with the use of different monitoring tools (suction cups and sap analysis) for the on-going adjustment of N which is supplied in all irrigations through fertigation/drip irrigation systems.
During the 2017/18 growing season, this approach was compared to conventional fertigation management based on local experience in pepper crop.
The reductions of total irrigation and applied mineral N fertiliser were 13 and 38%, respectively.
N lost through NO3– leaching was reduced by 63%. The reductions in applied water and N did not affect fruit production.
The management system and results were showcased to growers during the growing season to achieve maximum dissemination.
One of the tasks of this project is to exchange and showcase technologies to improve water and nutrient use efficiency in fertigated crops in different parts of the European Union.
In south-eastern Spain, excessive nitrogen (N) and irrigation application to fertigated, soil-grown vegetable crops in greenhouses has caused appreciable nitrate (NO3–) contamination and over-exploitation of underlying aquifers.
To reduce these problems, a prescriptive-corrective management strategy for optimising N management combined with an automatic system for the activation of irrigation based on tensiometers has been developed as a practical system for potential adoption by growers.
The proposed management system includes the use of a decision support system (DSS), VegSyst-DSS, for the calculation of crop N fertiliser requirements combined with the use of different monitoring tools (suction cups and sap analysis) for the on-going adjustment of N which is supplied in all irrigations through fertigation/drip irrigation systems.
During the 2017/18 growing season, this approach was compared to conventional fertigation management based on local experience in pepper crop.
The reductions of total irrigation and applied mineral N fertiliser were 13 and 38%, respectively.
N lost through NO3– leaching was reduced by 63%. The reductions in applied water and N did not affect fruit production.
The management system and results were showcased to growers during the growing season to achieve maximum dissemination.
Authors
J.J. Magán, M. Gallardo, M.D. Fernández, M.L. García, M.R. Granados, F.M. Padilla, R.B. Thompson
Keywords
crop monitoring, decision support system, nitrate leaching, sap analysis, suction cup, tensiometer
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