Irrigação automática acionada por sensor de pressão de vapor aplicada na produção de mudas de alface

Abstract

Irrigation acts as an important factor to reduce risks and increase productivity in agricultural crops. However, due to increasing water scarcity and the waste of water practiced by many farmers, there is great concern about the negative impacts of this technique on the productive sector, generating the need to establish a balance between agricultural productivity and the preservation of natural resources. In this scenario, studies related to water economics are inserted through more sustainable types of irrigation management. The objective of this study was use the Simplified Irrigation Controller sensor positioned in the atmosphere, to control the irrigation of lettuce seedlings based on the variation of water vapor pressure. The performance of the adaptation was evaluated by monitoring plant parameters, as well as, water use efficiency (WUE). The device was evaluated with the ceramic sensor positioned outside the substrate, in the atmosphere adjacent to the production trays, seeking to correlate the applied water with the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) observed at the experiment site. The seeds of the Regina cultivar were sown in polystyrene trays (200 cells) with substrate used in organic cultivation. A randomized block design was used in a factorial scheme where factor A were four adjustments of the SIC (3.5; 5, 6.5 and 8kPa) and factor B were the two evaluation periods (from July 8 to August 8 and September 16 to October 16, both in 2016) with four replications, totaling 32 plots (experimental units). Parameters related to the growth and physiology of the crop was evaluated, such as: fresh mass, dry mass, water use efficiency, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and stomatal conductance. The results were submitted to analysis of variance and in the presence of significant interaction a Sliced- analysis was carried out for each factor. Scott-Knott test was used to determine significance with the cut off at 5%.Biometric and physiological variables tested showed a decrease as the tested tensions were increased. The 3.5 kPa tension showed a higher potential for producing more vigorous seedlings, presenting WUE with an average value of 1.37 g L-1 and producing a seedling with approximately 32.4 mL of water in the second experimental period. The cultivation of lettuce seedlings is possible in both experimental periods. The results show the availability of the use of the SIC with atmospheric sensor and compatibility of the applied water volume applied with the observed VPD