ISHS Acta Horticulturae 278: Symposium on Scheduling of Irrigation for Vegetable Crops under Field Condition
IRRIGATION OF TOMATOES FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING: RELIABILITY OF A WATER BALANCE MODEL |
| Authors: | D. Falcis, V. Marletto, F. Zinoni |
| Abstract:
This work points out the actual feasibility of a farm irrigation assistance system for processing tomatoes. The system is based on a water balance model of the rooting zone including a simple loading and unloading algorithm. Models of this kind rely upon the accuracy of the calibration of their empirical coefficients. In the years 1983–87 field tests were carried out in the Experimental Farm "V. Tadini", located at Gariga di Podenzano. In that area (close to the city of Piacenza in the Po River Plain) tomatoes for industrial processing must be irrigated in order to get high yields. The irrigation assistance system aims at the optimation of the irrigation volumes and shifts. By means of the field tests we determined the interpolation functions for root growth and crop coefficients. The accuracy of the calibration undertaken was tested by comparing the simulated with the measured soil water content. This model is already in use being included in a larger agrometeorological assistance program available to the farmers of Emilia Romagna. | |
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