Abstract
A new smartphone irrigation scheduling application (VegApp) was compared with current irrigation scheduling recommendations and an automated soil moisture sensor (SMS)–based irrigation system in southern Georgia during Spring 2016 and 2017. Plants were grown using plastic mulch and drip irrigation following standard production practices for watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) in Georgia. The VegApp irrigation regime was based on evapotranspiration (ET o ) values calculated from real-time data collected from a nearby weather station. Current irrigation scheduling recommendations use a water balance (WB) method. The WB method uses historic averages for determining ET o rates for the season. Water applied, soil water tension at 6-, 10-, and 14-inch depths, yield, and fruit quality were evaluated. In 2016, the SMS-based irrigation plots applied the least water. In 2017, the lowest amount of water was applied to plants grown using the VegApp. Total marketable yields were not significantly affected by irrigation regime. However, 45-count fruit yields were affected by irrigation in 2017. Plants grown using SMS-based irrigation had significantly higher yields of 45-count fruit than those grown using the WB method. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was affected by irrigation treatment and year. The SMS-irrigated plants had the greatest IWUE, although it was not significantly different from plants grown using the VegApp irrigation program. Internal quality parameters including, firmness, hollow heart, and total soluble solids (TSS) were not significantly affected by irrigation scheduling during the study. The results suggest that overall water applications may be reduced and yields maintained when using VegApp compared with traditional WB methods of irrigation scheduling.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
SMS irrigation applied the least water in 2016.
- Taxon
- Watermelon
Citrullus lanatust0 - Treatment
- SMS-based irrigatione0
- Outcome
- watere0
- Direction
- leaste0
- Setting
- Watermelont0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 2016, the SMS-based irrigation plots applied the least water.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
VegApp applied the least water in 2017.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- VegAppe0
- Outcome
- watere0
- Direction
- loweste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 2017, the lowest amount of water was applied to plants grown using the VegApp.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Total marketable yields did not differ significantly by irrigation regime.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- irrigation regimee0
- Outcome
- Total marketable yieldse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total marketable yields were not significantly affected by irrigation regime.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
SMS irrigation yielded more 45-count fruit than the water balance method in 2017.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- SMS-based irrigatione0
- Outcome
- yields of 45-count fruite0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- WB methode0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Plants grown using SMS-based irrigation had significantly higher yields of 45-count fruit than those grown using the WB method.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation water use efficiency varied with irrigation treatment and year.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- irrigation treatmente0
- Outcome
- Irrigation water use efficiencye0
- Qualifier
- yeare0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was affected by irrigation treatment and year.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
SMS irrigation produced the greatest irrigation water use efficiency, without a significant difference from VegApp.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- SMS-irrigatede0
- Outcome
- IWUEe0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Comparator
- VegApp irrigation programe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The SMS-irrigated plants had the greatest IWUE, although it was not significantly different from plants grown using the VegApp irrigation program.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation scheduling did not significantly affect firmness, hollow heart or soluble solids.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- irrigation schedulinge0
- Outcome
- firmness, hollow heart, and total soluble solids (TSS)e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Internal quality parameters including, firmness, hollow heart, and total soluble solids (TSS) were not significantly affected by irrigation scheduling during the study.”
t0“Watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
VegApp may reduce water application while maintaining yields compared with water balance scheduling.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- VegAppe0
- Outcome
- overall water applications may be reduced and yields maintainede0
- Comparator
- traditional WB methods of irrigation schedulinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The results suggest that overall water applications may be reduced and yields maintained when using VegApp compared with traditional WB methods of irrigation scheduling.”
t0“Watermelon”
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