Automated irrigation management system for tree species seedlings using weighing mini-lysimeters

doi:10.3832/ifor4409-017

Automated irrigation management system for tree species seedlings using weighing mini-lysimeters

Daniel Fonseca de Carvalho⁽¹⁾ , Gabriela Rodrigues da Costa⁽²⁾, Bruno Antônio Augusto Faria Conforto⁽³⁾, Marinaldo Ferreira Pinto⁽¹⁾, Magali Ribeiro da Silva⁽⁴⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 222-228 (2024)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4409-017
Published: Aug 03, 2024 - Copyright © 2024 SISEF

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Due to the lack of irrigation management techniques, the application of water in forest nurseries is generally carried out without control, resulting in great waste. This study aimed to develop and evaluate weighing mini-lysimeters (ML) to automate the irrigation system and determine the water demand and evaluation of the initial tree species seedling growth. The structure was built out of wood to fit a tray of 54 tubes measuring 280 cm³. It was equipped with a load cell with a nominal capacity of 10 kg, located in the center of the structure. The mass variations of the set were recorded on a micro SD card using an Arduino Mega board, which allowed for the automated irrigation management system through an algorithm. Two MLs were built, determining the water demand of Dalbergia nigra (DN) and Enterolobium contortisiliquum (EC) seedlings in the initial growth phase. After calibration, the MLs presented an absolute error and mean squared error below 1% of the total mass, allowing effective irrigation control. During the evaluation period, 1.47 L seedling^-1 of DN and 1.45 L seedling^-1 of EC were applied, reaching 89 days after emergence, height and stem diameter of 39.2 cm and 3.4 mm, and 19.3 cm and 4.6 mm, respectively. The weighing mini-lysimeters developed demonstrated the ability to automate the irrigation of tree species seedlings, reducing the amount of water applied in forest nurseries.

Keywords

Evapotranspiration, Nursery, Mini-lysimeters, Dalbergia nigra, Brazilian rosewood, Enterolobium contortisiliquum, Pacara earpod tree

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0001-7629-9465
0000-0002-9368-6122
Engineering Department, Technology Institute, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). BR-465 Highway, km 7, 23890-000 (Brazil)

(2)

0000-0001-9544-4947
Graduate Program in Agronomy - Soil Science. Agronomy Institute, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). BR-465 Highway, km 7, Seropédica - RJ, 23897000 (Brazil)

(3)

0000-0002-5083-4930
UFRRJ, BR-465 Highway, km 7, Seropédica - RJ, 23897000 (Brazil)

(4)

0000-0003-4427-2940
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. São Paulo State University - UNESP, Rua José Barbosa de Barros, 1780, Jardim Primavera, Botucatu - SP, 18610307 (Brazil)

Corresponding author

Daniel Fonseca de Carvalho
daniel.fonseca.carvalho@gmail.com

Citation

Fonseca de Carvalho D, Rodrigues da Costa G, Faria Conforto BAA, Ferreira Pinto M, Ribeiro da Silva M (2024). Automated irrigation management system for tree species seedlings using weighing mini-lysimeters. iForest 17: 222-228. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4409-017

Academic Editor

Pierluigi Paris

Paper history

Received: Jun 26, 2023
Accepted: Mar 14, 2024

First online: Aug 03, 2024
Publication Date: Aug 31, 2024
Publication Time: 4.73 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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