Decision support system (DSS) for managing fertigation in open field vegetables crops Kumar Vipin*, Jakhwal Riya, Singh Sudhanshu, Singh bijendra College of Horticulture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut *Corresponding Author Email- dr.vipin.kumar.ad@gmail.com
Online published on 20 May, 2023. Abstract Reduced water availability and environmental pollution caused by nitrogen (N) losses have increased the need for rational management of irrigation and N fertilization in horticultural systems. Decision support systems (DSS) could be powerful tools to assist farmers to improve irrigation and N fertilization efficiency. Currently, fertilization by drip irrigation system (fertigation) is used for many vegetable crops around the world. The paper illustrates the theoretical basis, the methodological approach and the structure of a DSS called GesCoN for fertigation management in open field vegetable crops. The DSS is based on daily water and N balance, considering the water lost by evapo-transpiration (ET) and the N content in the aerial part of the crop (N uptake) as subtraction and the availability of water and N in the wet soil volume most effected by roots as the positive part. For the water balance, reference ET can be estimated using the Penman-Monteith (PM) or the Priestley-Taylor and Hargreaves models, specifically calibrated under local conditions. Rain runoff and deep percolation are considered to calculate the effective rainfall. The soil volume most affected by the roots, the wet soil under emitters and their interactions are modeled. Crop growth is modeled by a non-linear logistic function on the basis of thermal time, but the model takes into account thermal and water stresses and allows an in-season calibration through a dynamic adaptation of the growth rate to the specific genetic and environmental conditions. Top Keywords DSS, Human-computer interaction, Decision-making, Precision agriculture, Information visualization,Sensors and Fertigation. Top |