Control of Irrigation for Greenhouse Vegetable Crops in Europe

Xunbo Zhou^*
*Correspondence: Xunbo Zhou, Department of Agro-environment and Agro-products, Guangxi University, Nanning, China, Email:

Keywords

Agricultural water • Electrical conductivity • Agricultural management schemes

Introduction

In a greenhouse, the application of various plant sensors to vegetable crops is discussed. The survey's findings on the use of various irrigation management techniques and irrigation systems for both soil-based and soilless production of greenhouse vegetable crops in Europe are presented. Following the revision of this information, suggestions are made regarding the available tools and technologies' scientific and practical value in assisting greenhouse vegetable crop growers in optimizing irrigation management. The production of vegetables in greenhouses frequently results in significant nitrate (NO³) leaching and NO³ contamination of aquifers. Growers of vegetables are under increasing social and legislative pressure to lessen the loss of NO³- leaching and other nutrients to water bodies. NO³ leaching is largely caused by excessive irrigation. For greenhouse vegetable production to significantly reduce NO³ contamination of aquifers, optimal irrigation management is required. To significantly improve greenhouse vegetable production's water productivity (or water use efficiency), optimal irrigation management is required. Considering the increasing scarcity of fresh water resources in many of the regions of Europe where greenhouse vegetable production is concentrated, such as southern Europe, this is especially significant [1,2].

Discussion

Over the most recent thirty years, the reception of specialized improvements has added to diminish supplement draining misfortune from European nursery vegetable creation. Dribble and sprinkler water system are presently standard procedures. The excessive irrigation that is typically associated with surface irrigation systems has significantly decreased as a result of their widespread adoption in recent decades. In a similar vein, the use of soilless systems with nutrient solution recirculation in protected vegetable production has significantly reduced nutrient losses in northwest (NW) Europe, particularly in The Netherlands and Belgium. Irrigation of greenhouse vegetable crops, at least in southern Europe, typically exceeds crop requirements and is based on the experience of growers and advisors, despite these technical advancements providing a sound infrastructure. In order to ensure that greenhouse-grown vegetable crops receive the best irrigation possible for their crop- and site-specific requirements, effective and farmer-friendly management techniques and tools are required. Growers of greenhouse vegetables should be able to determine when and how much to irrigate with the help of these tools and methods. In recent years, a variety of strategies and tools designed to assist greenhouse vegetable growers have been developed and evaluated. These are categorized as (a) direct methods and (b) indirect methods, respectively. Climate-based indirect methods use equations to estimate the crop's atmospheric demand to anticipate irrigation needs or replenish soil and substrate reserves. The integration of these equations into automatic irrigation controllers, simulation models, decision support system (DSS) apps, and publicly accessible information provided by extension services are examples of practical applications. To help growers make decisions or automate irrigation, direct methods involve measuring a parameter. Soil and plant sensors, drainage trays, and weighing trays are the direct methods that have received the most attention and research. Utilizing biostimulants and beneficial as well as mulching, grafting, and other practices may also be beneficial [3-5].

Conclusion

The primary goal of this review is to provide an overview of the scientific studies that have been conducted on the tools and techniques that are available to optimize irrigation in European greenhouse vegetable crops in order to cut down on drainage losses, which are a factor in the contamination of natural water bodies. Moreover, this audit reports the consequences of a review led among specialized partners and scientists to grasp the level of execution of these strategies and devices in the main locales of nursery vegetable creation in Europe. The review is relevant to ornamental crops grown in greenhouses as well as vegetables grown in greenhouses.

Acknowledgement

None.

Conflict of Interest

None.

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