Evaporation-Based Irrigation Strategy for Tomato Production Using Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65141/jeraff.v6i1.n3Keywords:
Solar-powered drip irrigation, Tomato yield and growth, Pan evaporation irrigation scheduling, Water productivity, Supplementary irrigation managementAbstract
This study evaluated the effects of evaporation-based irrigation scheduling on tomato growth, yield, water productivity, and economic performance using a solar-powered drip irrigation system at the Isabela State University Research Experimental Area, Echague, Isabela. Four irrigation regimes based on Class A pan evaporation were tested: 75% (T1), 100% (T2), 125% (T3), and 150% (T4), arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Results showed that irrigation level significantly affected plant height, number of leaves, fruit diameter, percent effective flowers, and yield (p < 0.05). The highest projected yield was obtained under T4 (1,142.22 kg per 1,000 m²), although it was statistically comparable to T3 (1,119.23 kg per 1,000 m²). Treatment 3 achieved the highest water productivity at 6.87 kg m⁻³, followed by T2 (6.43 kg m⁻³), T1 (6.39 kg m⁻³), and T4 (6.29 kg m⁻³). Economic analysis indicated that the solar-powered drip irrigation system was financially viable, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.76, a return on investment of 42.03%, and a payback period of 2.38 years. The findings suggest that irrigation scheduling based on 125% of Class A pan evaporation provides an effective balance between yield and water-use efficiency and can serve as a practical climate-resilient irrigation strategy for tomato production in water-limited environments.
References
[1] Abdelhady, S., Abu El-Azm, N., & El-Kafafi, E.-S. (2017). Effect of deficit irrigation levels and NPK fertilization rates on tomato growth, yield, and fruits quality. Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research, 6 (3), 587–604. https://www.curresweb.com/mejar/mejar/2017/587-604.pdf
[2] Bhattarai, S. P., Pendergast, L., & Midmore, D. J. (2006). Root aeration improves yield and water use efficiency of tomato in heavy clay and saline soils. Scientia Horticulturae, 108(3), 278–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2006.02.011
[3] Cerestia. (2024). Drip irrigation: the solution for sustainable agriculture. Regaber website. https://regaber.com/en/blog/riego-por-goteo-la-solucion-para-una-agricultura-sostenible
[4] FAO. (1985). Irrigation water management: Irrigation methods. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/3/S8684E/s8684e07.htm#Top OfPage
[5] Lu, J., Shao, G., Gao, Y., Zhang, K., Wei, Q., & Cheng, J. (2021). Effects of water deficit combined with soil texture, soil bulk density, and tomato variety on tomato fruit quality: A meta-analysis. Agricultural Water Management, 243, 106427–106427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106427
[6] Maughan, T., Drost, D., & Allen, L. (2015). Vegetable irrigation: Sweet pepper and tomato. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1738&context=extension_curall
[7] Me, R., Arafa, Y. E., Sawan, O. M., Fouad, Z. & El-Sawy, S. M. (2019). Effect of irrigation systems on vegetative growth, fruit yield, quality, and irrigation water use. ResearchGate, 3(4), 12.
[8] Mukherjee, S., Dash, P.K., Das, D., & Das, S. (2023). Growth, yield, and water productivity of tomato as influenced by deficit irrigation water management. Environ. Process. 10(10). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00624-z
[9] Mulhollem, J. (2022). Internet-based precision irrigation system shows promise for fresh-market tomato. Sabinet African Journals, 14(5). https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sa_bimag_v14_n5_a13
[10] Siebert, S., Burke, J., Faures, J. M., Frenken, K., Hoogeveen, J., Döll, P., & Portmann, F. T. (2010). Groundwater use for irrigation – A global inventory. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 14(10), 1863–1880. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-1863-2010
[11] Singh, D., Biswal, A. K., Samanta, D., Singh, V., Seifedine Kadry, Khan, A., & Nam, Y. (2023). Smart high-yield tomato cultivation: precision irrigation system using the Internet of Things. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1239594
[12] Somefun, O. T., Masasi, B., & Adelabu, A. O. (2024). Irrigation and water management of tomatoes – A review. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70020
[13] Unsworth, M. (1975). Microclimate: The biological environment. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 101(430), 1031. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710143031
[14] WaterSense - US EPA. (2017). Watering can be efficient. https//19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/watersense/pubs/efficient.html
[15] Wu, Y., Yan, S., Fan, J., Zhang, F., Zhao, W., Zheng, J., Guo, J., Xiang, Y., & Wu, L. (2022). Combined effects of irrigation level and fertilization practice on yield, economic benefit and water-nitrogen use efficiency of drip-irrigated greenhouse tomato. Agricultural Water Management, 262, 107401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107401
[16] Xiukang, W., & Yingying, X. (2016). Evaluation of the effect of irrigation and fertilization by drip fertigation on tomato yield and water use efficiency in greenhouse. International Journal of Agronomy, 2016, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3961903
