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A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Vegetable Production Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 27135

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Dr. Lucia Bortolini

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Dept. Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University od Padova (Italy), 35122 Padova, PD, Italy
Interests: sprinkle and trickle irrigation; landscape irrigation; precision irrigation; natural water retention measures; sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS); green roof; rain garden; blue-green infrastructure
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Irrigation allows one to obtain high vegetable crop yield, improving quality and ensuring greater flexibility in choosing crop rotations. The modernization process of the irrigation systems has made it possible to increase the efficiency of water use. However, in a context of climate change and increased demand for food, an update of irrigation equipment and devices and a review of management methods may be necessary. Emerging and innovative irrigation technologies, including site-specific crop management, have the potential to improve crop performances, applying water and agrochemicals more precisely to match the plant needs and reduce non-productive water use, developing resilient and stable production systems. This Special Issue will examine recent advances in irrigation approaches and technologies that can contribute to ensuring high quality and quantity vegetable production, increase water use efficiency, and improve long-term farm sustainability and profitability.

Prof. Dr. Lucia Bortolini
Guest Editor

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Keywords

water use efficiency
irrigation equipment and devices
variable rate irrigation
automation
soil moisture monitoring
sensors
water saving
water and wastewater reuse
remote sensing
Internet of Things (IoT)
sustainability

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Magnetic Water Treatment on the Growth, Nutritional Status, and Yield of Lettuce Plants with Irrigation Rate

by Fernando Ferrari Putti, Eduardo Festozo Vicente, Prínscilla Pâmela Nunes Chaves, Luís Paulo Benetti Mantoan, Camila Pires Cremasco, Bruna Arruda, Juliane Cristina Forti, Josué Ferreira Silva Junior, Marcelo Campos, André Rodrigues dos Reis and Luís Roberto Almeida Gabriel Filho

Horticulturae 2023, 9(4), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9040504 - 19 Apr 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3483

Abstract

Climate change is causing an increase in dry spells, altering rainfall patterns and soil moisture, and affecting water and nutrient plant uptake, which inevitably affects vegetable production. To mitigate this issue, some technologies that allow the maintenance of the ideal soil moisture for the uptake process are being investigated. Considering this, we hypothesize that the use of water treated with a magnetic field can increase water use efficiency in lettuce crop production. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the irrigation rate of magnetically treated water on biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake by lettuce plants. An experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement of two water sources (conventional water and magnetically treated water) and five irrigation application rates to replace crop evaporation: 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125%, with five replicates. The use of magnetically treated water increased the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in leaves, meaning that it induced higher nitrogen assimilation, leading to increases in agronomical characteristics (leaf number, fresh and dry shoot weight, fresh and dry root weight). The conclusions of this study showcase that magnetically treated water has beneficial effects on lettuce plants, improving their nutritional status and yield. Moreover, the results presented can lead to an increase in water use efficiency, thus optimizing irrigation management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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11 pages, 2750 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical Properties of the Canary Islands’ Volcanic Pyroclastic Materials as Horticultural Substrates

by Belarmino Santos Coello and Domingo Ríos Mesa

Horticulturae 2023, 9(4), 414; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9040414 - 23 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1365

Abstract

In the Canary Islands and in other parts of the world where it can be found in its natural state, basaltic tephra, or “Picón” as it is known locally, is commonly used as a soilless substrate for crops. The aim of this study is to learn more about the physical properties of the Canary Islands’ tuff, and to find a simple method to predict the hydraulic behaviour of these substrates due to their heterogeneity. To accomplish this, 32 tuff samples were collected from all the quarries on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) that were authorised for the study. The tuffs had hydraulic properties that were highly influenced by the particle size. Coarse tuffs had an aeration capacity greater than 35% v/v and easily available water of less than 5% (v/v), while fine tuffs had aeration capacities below 20% v/v and elevated water retention (20 to 26% v/v). The intermediate tuffs had characteristics that varied between those of the two previous groups. Particle size fractions of less than 1 mm demonstrated the best correlation to common air:water ratios and present the best predictive capacity to relations involving air. By focusing on air:water ratios and the previous assumption, an attempt was made to predict the suitability of new pyroclastic material samples emitted by the La Palma Volcano as growing substrates for vegetables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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14 pages, 1306 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Non-Thermal Plasma and Soilless Nutrient Solution Application: Effects on Nutrient Film Technique Lettuce Cultivation

by Carlo Nicoletto, Valentina Falcioni, Silvia Locatelli and Paolo Sambo

Horticulturae 2023, 9(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9020208 - 4 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2213

Abstract

Soilless cultivation is one of the best examples of the sustainable intensification concept due to the high use efficiency of its inputs. Managing the nutrient solution through a closed cycle system represents a crucial objective to be pursued, but the recovery of the nutrient solution requires chemical correction and sanitization. The application of non-thermal plasma (NTP) in agriculture promotes the safety of the nutrient solution, decreasing the use of chemicals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cold plasma on the nutrient depletion, yield, and qualitative traits of lettuce. A closed soilless system (nutrient film technique) was used to compare different NTP treatments: control, low ionization (LI), and high ionization (HI) in two successive lettuce cycles. No significant differences within the nutrient depletion trends were observed. The treated lettuce’s yield was 12% higher than that of the control, characterized by a higher total soluble solid content and a significantly higher electrical conductivity and titratable acidity than the control. The ion content was higher in HI plants, as were the contents of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. In HI plants, the leaf pigments were higher, but no significant changes were observed for the antioxidant content. Cold plasma is a promising strategy that brings benefits to the crop. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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12 pages, 1290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Irrigation with Contaminated Water on Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in Water Chestnut (Trapa natans L.)

by Mostafa A. Taher, Ferjeni Zouidi, Pankaj Kumar, Sami Abou Fayssal, Bashir Adelodun, Madhumita Goala, Vinod Kumar, Željko Andabaka, Ivan Širić and Ebrahem M. Eid

Horticulturae 2023, 9(2), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9020190 - 2 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2417

Abstract

This study investigated the monitoring of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) in pond water, sludge, and cultivated water chestnut (Trapa natans L.) crops in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. For this purpose, samples of pond water, sludge, and T. natans plant (nut, shoot, and root) were collected in November of 2021 and 2022 from three zones (Zone 1: agricultural area irrigated with borewell water, Zone 2: urban area irrigated with municipal wastewater, and Zone 3: rural area irrigated with mixed type of wastewater) and subsequently analyzed for heavy metal concentration using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the physicochemical and heavy metal characteristics of pond water and sludge were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in Zone 2 and 3 than to those in Zone 1. The concentration of heavy metals in T. natans root was comparatively high followed by shoot and nut parts. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was maximum while using pond water as a reference medium compared to pond sludge. Overall, the increasing order of heavy metals in T. natans was observed as Cd < Cr < Cu < Zn < Mn < Fe. In the edible part (nut) of T. natans, the average contents of Cd (0.005 ± 0.002 mg/kg), Cr (0.134 ± 0.009 mg/kg), Cu (1.043 ± 0.104 mg/kg), Fe (9.589 ± 0.957 mg/kg), Mn (4.326 ± 0.753 mg/kg), and Zn (1.540 ± 0.537 mg/kg) were comparatively less than shoot and root parts. Overall, the results revealed that T. natans irrigated with contaminated irrigation supplies at Zone 2 and 3 showed the highest BAF of heavy metals than Zone 1. Because the heavy metal concentrations in edible parts of T. natans did not exceed the threshold limits, the contaminated water sources in the Saharanpur region of India should be used in a safe and controlled manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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15 pages, 1575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sugar Metabolism and Photosynthesis of Tomatoes Irrigated with Water Treated with Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Resonance Fields in Different Fertigation Doses

by Bianca Bueno Nogueira, Eduardo Festozo Vicente, Prínscilla Pâmela Nunes Chaves, Willian Aparecido Leotti Zanetti, Elizabeth Orika Ono, Gustavo Ferreira da Silva, André Rodrigues dos Reis and Fernando Ferrari Putti

Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100868 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1726

Abstract

Management of irrigation and fertilization in greenhouses, if not done correctly, can cause soil salinization. The use of water treated with very low-frequency electromagnetic resonance fields (WVLF) can reduce salinization effects on the photosynthetic and biometric systems. Thus, the purpose of the research to evaluate the metabolism of photosynthesis and the impact of WVLF on the cultivation of tomato crops subjected to different levels of fertigation. For this, the gas exchange parameters were evaluated, as well as chlorophyll a fluorescence, sugar contents, sucrose, chlorophylls, and phaeophytins and fruit production. The gas exchange parameters had greater activity when subjected to irrigation with electromagnetic water, consequently the production of sugar and sucrose increased. Photosynthetic System II showed less salinity effect, being favored by very low-frequency electromagnetic resonance fields. The production increased by 20% for the dose of 2.5 d·Sm⁻¹ of WVLF reducing the effects caused by higher doses. Hence, the induction of water by electromagnetic fields can provide less damage to the photosynthetic system and to the cultivation of the tomato crop when subjected to saline stress and, consequently, favor the production of fruits by this crop under such conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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13 pages, 1866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in a Mediterranean Climate

by Vito Aurelio Cerasola, Lorenzo Perlotti, Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini and Giorgio Gianquinto

Horticulturae 2022, 8(8), 718; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8080718 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3036

Abstract

Drought risk is significantly increasing as a consequence of climate change, and the Mediterranean basin will be among the most affected areas by water scarcity in Europe. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are soil amendments capable to retain water and release it when drought occurs. In the present study, the ability of a commercial SAP to improve the drought tolerance of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was assessed on a commercial farm located in northern Italy. A strip plot experimental design was adopted, where three irrigation treatments (IRR₁₀₀, IRR₇₅, and IRR₅₀, respectively, restituting 100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration) were combined with the application of the SAP (control vs. soil amended with SAP). No significant interaction was observed between irrigation treatments and SAP application in yield and quality traits. SAP application allowed for an average increase in tomato yield (+16.4%) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (+15.8%), determined by a higher number of marketable fruits. The irrigation strategy IRR₇₅ + SAP maintained the same yield and quality as the full irrigation control (IRR₁₀₀), increasing the IWUE by about 37%. The experiment demonstrated that, for processing tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean, it is possible to reduce the water supply by 25% when SAP amendment is applied to the soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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15 pages, 4506 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Different Nozzle Orifice Shapes on Water Droplet Characteristics for Sprinkler Irrigation

by Lin Hua, Yue Jiang, Hong Li and Longtan Qin

Horticulturae 2022, 8(6), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8060538 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2972

Abstract

In common irrigation systems, sprinklers are mounted with circular nozzles, but innovative noncircular nozzles can save water and energy by improving fragmentation in a low–intermediate pressure irrigation system. In order to investigate the effects of nozzle orifice shapes (circular, square, and equilateral triangular) on droplet characteristics, experiments using high-speed photography and water droplet spectrum measurement were performed. Using ImageJ to observe with the overlapped droplets and using the self-compiled programs of MATLAB to observe the morphology of droplets, we extracted the outlines of droplets. In addition, several empirical formulas for the prediction of droplets were obtained by way of a regression analysis of the experimental data. In particular, the shape coefficient of the nozzle orifice and the operating pressure of the nozzle were added to these formulas as variable factors to make them applicable to a variety of nozzles and working conditions. The results show that with the increase in shape coefficient, the jet atomization intensifies, and the droplets breaking from the jet will be dense and uniform. The velocity distribution of the droplets conforms to exponential functions (R² > 0.7). The prediction formulas of diameter and kinetic energy were established with coefficients of determination exceeding 0.95. In low pressure conditions, the specific power multiplies at the end of spraying, and the maximum is proportional to the nozzle orifice coefficient. The impact-driven arm compensates for the disadvantage of the noncircular nozzles with the high irrigation-specific power, by producing a wider diameter gradient of droplets. Therefore, innovative sprinklers based on noncircular nozzles can be applied in a low–intermediate pressure system to increase water use efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and reduce costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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12 pages, 1196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Upcycling of Mushroom Farm Wastewater through Cultivation of Two Water Ferns (Azolla spp.) in Stagnant and Flowing Tank Reactors

by Pankaj Kumar, Ebrahem M. Eid, Mostafa A. Taher, Mohamed H. E. El-Morsy, Hanan E. M. Osman, Dhafer A. Al-Bakre, Bashir Adelodun, Sami Abou Fayssal, Željko Andabaka, Madhumita Goala, Jogendra Singh, Sonika Kumari, Ashish Kumar Arya, Kyung Sook Choi, Vinod Kumar and Ivan Širić

Horticulturae 2022, 8(6), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8060506 - 8 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3332

Abstract

Nowadays, the increase in the wastewater generated from the mushroom cultivation sector has become a serious environmental pollution concern. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the efficiency of two water ferns (Azolla pinnata and A. filiculoides) in phytoremediation of mushroom farm wastewater (MFW) under stagnant and flowing tank reactor systems. For this, the laboratory scale experiments were conducted using five treatments, i.e., control (absolute borewell water), S50 (15 L borewell water + 15 L MFW: stagnant mode), S100 (30 L MFW: stagnant mode), F50 (15 L borewell water + 15 L MFW: flowing mode), F100 (30 L MFW: flowing mode), separately for both Azolla spp. After 15 days, A. pinnata and A. filiculoides significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the physicochemical parameters of MFW such as pH (18.87 and 18.56%), electrical conductivity (EC: 80.28 and 78.83%), total dissolved solids (TDS: 87.12 and 86.63%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD: 90.63 and 89.90%), chemical oxygen demand (COD: 86.14 and 85.54%), and total Kjeldahl’s nitrogen (TKN: 84.22 and 82.44%), respectively, in F100 treatment. Similarly, the highest growth and biochemical parameters of Azolla spp. were also observed while using absolute MFW treatment in a flowing tank reactor system. Moreover, out of the two tested growth kinetic models, the logistic model showed better fitness to the experimental data and prediction of critical growth parameters compared to the modified Gompertz model. The findings of this study are novel and suggest sustainable upcycling of MFW using plant-based treatment techniques with the production of high-quality Azolla spp. biomass. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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17 pages, 4356 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Research on Mixing Law of Liquid Fertilizer Injected into Irrigation Pipe

by Zhiyang Zhang, Chao Chen, Hong Li and Pan Tang

Horticulturae 2022, 8(3), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8030200 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2720

Abstract

The time and position that fertilizer takes to uniformly mix with water in an irrigation system significantly affects the development of a fertilization strategy. A pipe irrigation system was used to study the fertilizer–water mixing law in irrigation pipes using numerical simulation and experiments. The effect of the diameter of the water pipe and fertilizer pipe, water and fertilizer flow rates, concentration and viscosity of fertilizer, frequency of fertilizer injection on the mixing speed, and uniform mixing length indicated that the frequency of fertilizer injection did not affect the mixing process. The increase in the water pipe diameter and fertilizer flow rate or the decrease in fertilizer pipe and water flow rate diameter result in the increase of the speed of fertilizer solution mixing with water along the radial direction of the mixing pipe. The uniform mixing length was directly proportional to the fertilizer pipe diameter, water pipe diameter, water flow rate, and fertilizer viscosity, while it was inversely proportional to the flow rate and concentration of fertilizer. The relationship between the uniform mixing length and six influencing factors was fitted, the fitting was highly accurate, and the fitting equation can be used to predict the uniform mixing length under other conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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9 pages, 272 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Irrigation with Treated Domestic Wastewater on Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) Fruit and Seed under Semi-Arid Conditions

by Ibrahim M. Makhadmeh, Seba F. Gharaiebeh and Ammar A. Albalasmeh

Horticulturae 2021, 7(8), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7080226 - 5 Aug 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2090

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of using municipal treated wastewater in irrigation on plant growth and seed quality of squash as compared to fresh water. The physico-chemical properties of both water sources were investigated. Soil, fruits and seeds were tested for heavy metals presence and accumulation. A number of seed composition parameters were also measured. Growth parameters (fruit length, diameter and oven-dried weight) were increased in response to irrigation with treated wastewater as compared to control. All tested heavy metals concentrations were below the toxic limit of the Jordanian standards. Crude protein content was highest (41.28%) in naked seeds under treated wastewater treatment, whereas the lowest content (33.57%) was under freshwater treatment of the whole seeds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced of Horticulture Innovative Irrigation Technologies)

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