Growth, Yield, and Water Productivity Responses of Pepper to Sub-Irrigated Planter Systems in a Greenhouse

Marjan Vahabi Mashhor, Mahmoud Mashal, Seyyed Ebrahim Hashemi Garmdareh, Juan Reca, Maria Teresa Lao, Maryam Veravipour and Hamed Ebrahimian
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Marjan Vahabi Mashhor: Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, Iran
Mahmoud Mashal: Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, Iran
Seyyed Ebrahim Hashemi Garmdareh: Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, Iran
Juan Reca: Department of Engineering, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Maria Teresa Lao: Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Maryam Veravipour: Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, Iran
Hamed Ebrahimian: Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 3158777871, Iran

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: A sub-irrigated planter (SIP) is a container irrigation technique in which water is supplied to the crop from the bottom, stored in a saturated media-filled reservoir beneath an unsaturated soil, and then delivered by capillary action to the root zone. The aim of this study was to optimize the water management and to assess the performance of this technique in terms of water use efficiency, soil moisture, and solute distribution in comparison with surface irrigation in a Mediterranean greenhouse. The experiment consisted of four SIP treatments, with a constant water level in the bottom reservoir in order to evaluate the effect of two different irrigation salinities (1.2 and 2.2 dS m −1 ) and two depths of substrate profiles (25 and 15 cm). The results showed that SIP is capable of significantly improving both water-use efficiency and plant productivity compared with surface irrigation. Also, a 24% average reduction in water consumption was observed while using SIP. Moreover, SIPs with a higher depth were recommended as the optimum treatments within SIPs. The type of irrigation method affected the salinity distribution in the substrate profile; the highest salinity levels were registered at the top layers in SIPs, whereas the maximum salinity levels for the surface treatments were observed at the bottom layers. SIPs provide a practical solution for the irrigation of plants in areas facing water quality and scarcity problems.

Keywords: sub-irrigated planter; Capsicum annuum L.; capillary; water use efficiency; plant productivity; salinity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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