Open source application for optimum irrigation and fertilization using reclaimed water in olive orchards

•A mobile app for optimal olive fertigation schedule using reclaimed water is proposed.•The app calculates the irrigation time and fertilizers quantity in real-time.•It considers historical records, weather forecast and nutrients applied through water.•The mobile app was tested in a real case study...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and electronics in agriculture 2020-06, Vol.173, p.105407, Article 105407
Main Authors: Alcaide Zaragoza, Carmen, González Perea, Rafael, Fernández García, Irene, Camacho Poyato, Emilio, Rodríguez Díaz, Juan Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
App
Applications programs
Electronic devices
Farms
Fertigation scheduling
Fertilization
Fertilizers
Information and communication technologies (ICTs)
Irrigation
Mobile computing
Orchards
Precision irrigation
Reclaimed water
Reclamation
River basins
Soil water
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•A mobile app for optimal olive fertigation schedule using reclaimed water is proposed.•The app calculates the irrigation time and fertilizers quantity in real-time.•It considers historical records, weather forecast and nutrients applied through water.•The mobile app was tested in a real case study during 2019 irrigation season.•Results showed that using treated wastewater, additional fertilization can be reduced. Olive orchard plays a key role in the economy of Andalusia (Southern Spain). It is also the most representative and extensive crop in that region. In fact, for that reason, it is the crop to which more water is allocated in the Guadalquivir River Basin. Additionally, its fertilization is based on the farmers experience which leads to inaccuracy and unnecessary fertilizers application. This over-fertilization, which is often of Nitrogen, causes significant impacts on soils, water and atmosphere, which threats the biosystem sustainability. At this juncture, olive orchard irrigation using reclaimed water arises as an alternative of the traditional water sources. Nevertheless, its management is more complicated since the water is already a nutrient carrier. In this work, a mobile application for Android devices has been developed. The application aims to provide farmers and technicians of a user-friendly tool which facilitates the fertigation management using reclaimed water for olive orchard irrigation. The mobile application has been used in a commercial farm, reducing the application of additional fertilizers. This leads to both environmental benefits and financial cost reductions.
ISSN:0168-1699
1872-7107
DOI:10.1016/j.compag.2020.105407