Using sensor networks to maximize irrigation water use efficiency in strawberry production

Irrigation water scarcity due to drought and increasingly restrictive environmental laws are affecting strawberry production in many regions of the United States. These challenges call for innovative ways to reduce water applications and increase water and nutrient-use efficiencies. Wireless sensor networks have the potential to be successfully used in commercial strawberry production to achieve these goals. Sensor networks were installed on a commercial strawberry farm in Maryland to implement sensor-controlled irrigation with the objective of quantifying its effect on plant growth, yield, fruit quality and irrigation water use, compared to current practices on the farms (grower-controlled irrigation). Sensor-controlled irrigation was implemented by control nodes that started irrigation events whenever average real-time volumetric water content (VWC) readings in the root zone dropped below user-defined (set-point) soil moisture levels. Additionally, a field research was conducted to compare deficit irrigation treatments and a control in a plasticulture production system, using sensor-controlled irrigation based upon real-time soil VWC data. Irrigation water volumes were continuously measured using flow meters to compare irrigation water use efficiencies for the deficit irrigation and control treatments. Fruit yield and number of fruits and irrigation application volumes were collected and analyzed to identify optimum deficit irrigation levels.