Articles
WATER AND LAND PRODUCTIVITY UNDER CONVENTIONAL VERSUS VERTICAL CULTIVATION
Article number
664_55
Pages
437 – 443
Language
English
Abstract
Agricultural productivity and sustainability are of the most challenging cases facing the world today with water and land being the limiting factors.
In order to meet the imposed challenges, a wise use of these scarce agricultural resources must be considered.
The objectives of this research were to increase production by saving space, water, and simultaneously protect the environment.
An experiment was designed to measure water and land productivity using a three dimensional technique.
This technique consisted of vertical columns (pipes) filled with soil.
Treatments included vertical pipes with plants growing from an exposed upper soil surface and from soil covered with plastic to stop soil evaporation (i.e., only transpiration.
The two treatments had planting densities of 1, 2, 3 and 4 plants per pipe.
Additionally, there were single pipes and double pipes where one pipe was placed above another to obtain a higher density.
Both strawberry and bean crops were studied.
In the strawberry experiment, the highest water productivity was for the double pipe with a density of three plants/pipe (17.25 kg/m3) compared to the control (3.62 kg/m3). As for the beans the highest water productivity was for the double pipes with a density of one plant/pipe (9.93 kg/m3).
In order to meet the imposed challenges, a wise use of these scarce agricultural resources must be considered.
The objectives of this research were to increase production by saving space, water, and simultaneously protect the environment.
An experiment was designed to measure water and land productivity using a three dimensional technique.
This technique consisted of vertical columns (pipes) filled with soil.
Treatments included vertical pipes with plants growing from an exposed upper soil surface and from soil covered with plastic to stop soil evaporation (i.e., only transpiration.
The two treatments had planting densities of 1, 2, 3 and 4 plants per pipe.
Additionally, there were single pipes and double pipes where one pipe was placed above another to obtain a higher density.
Both strawberry and bean crops were studied.
In the strawberry experiment, the highest water productivity was for the double pipe with a density of three plants/pipe (17.25 kg/m3) compared to the control (3.62 kg/m3). As for the beans the highest water productivity was for the double pipes with a density of one plant/pipe (9.93 kg/m3).
Authors
M.N. Nimah, I. Bashour, K. Corbani, S. Yanni
Keywords
Evapotranspiration, crop yield, 3-D technique, beans, strawberry
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