Development of a novel dielectric tensiometer to deliver water savings in horticulture and agriculture

开发新型介电张力计以实现园艺和农业节水

• 批准号: 130924
• 金额: $ 6.69万
• 依托单位: DELTA-T DEVICES LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2012 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=130924
• 关键词: Development; novel; dielectric; tensiometer; deliver

The sustainable and secure supply of water of adequate quality and in sufficient quantity is a major challenge for UK and global horticulture and agriculture. Blue water abstraction rates in many crop production areas are already unsustainable and despite the economic importance of scheduling irrigation effectively, almost 80% of UK irrigators used judgement not based on measurement in deciding when to irrigate. However, over-wet soil resulting from ineffective irrigation scheduling or ‘insurance’ irrigation reduces yields and post-harvest quality and increases the leaching of nitrates and other nutrients. In order to improve on-farm water use efficiency and water security, growers need to know when not to irrigate. To achieve this aim, a new soil moisture sensor that is accurate in the -5 to -30 kPa range will be developed and tested in this project; none of the current commercially available probes are sufficiently accurate within this range or suitably robust for growers.

可持续和安全地供应足够质量和足够数量的水是英国和全球园艺和农业的主要挑战。许多作物生产区的蓝水抽取率已经不可持续，尽管有效调度灌溉的经济重要性，但近80%的英国灌溉者在决定何时灌溉时使用的判断不是基于测量。然而，无效的灌溉计划或“保险”灌溉造成的土壤过湿会降低产量和收获后的质量，并增加硝酸盐和其他养分的沥滤。为了提高农业用水效率和水安全，种植者需要知道什么时候不灌溉。为了实现这一目标，本项目将开发和测试一种在-5至-30 kPa范围内准确的新型土壤水分传感器;目前市面上的探头在此范围内都不够准确，也不适合种植者使用。