Irrigation automation
An irrigation automation , ie automated water supply is professional in market gardens, so in nurseries, grow vegetables and ornamental plants and field crops and under glass (greenhouses), used in many crops. Automatic irrigation systems can also be found in public areas, in show gardens, parks, in the greening of noise barriers through to the garden and balcony at home.
The automatic system must decide whether water is needed, how much water is given and, if necessary, whether liquid fertilizer should also be distributed. For this purpose, sensors, time functions and programs - tailored to the respective water distribution system - are combined in such a way that the plants grow optimally. At the same time, water consumption should be minimized and fertilization should be adjusted to the actual needs of the plants. In practice, irrigation computers are used for this task. In connection with climate computers , the time of irrigation can finally be integrated into the climate control strategy , for example to prevent high humidity with possible fungal infestation of the plant culture.
Water distribution systems
In addition to irrigation systems with sprinklers, nozzle pipes or large-scale damming methods, micro- irrigation methods such as drip irrigation , spray irrigation and micro -sprinklers , which cause less water loss, are gaining ground. In closed cultivation systems under glass, flow channel systems, ebb and flow systems and drip irrigation are preferred. A closed water cycle and nutrient cycle is achieved, which is environmentally friendly and makes the plant culture as controllable as possible.
Sensors for irrigation automation
Spray mist systems, which are used for rooting cuttings, are controlled by sensors that act as "artificial leaves" and trigger frequent short spray pulses. Here, for example, rain sensors or cords are used that measure the electrical resistance via contact with water.
For nozzle pipes in cut flower crops, time-controlled irrigation computers are usually used, which provide the water pressure one after the other for different beds or units via magnetic valves .
The irradiation intensity of the sun is used as an indirect measured variable. A casting process is triggered by means of sol integrators after a certain amount of irradiation.
Alternatively, the saturation deficit of the air is calculated from temperature and air humidity , which correlates well with the water consumption of the plants. In connection with the plant culture day, the water consumption of the plants can be calculated from this.
The measurement of the soil moisture as a criterion for the irrigation requirement is recommended as a direct measuring method when there is an even distribution of water, for example in closed cultivation systems or with drip irrigation. Switching tensiometers or analog electronic tensiometers are used here.
For the hobby sector there are also clay candles that are connected to a storage vessel via a hose and automatically supply a planter without any further technology.
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- Board of Trustees for Technology and Construction in Agriculture (Ed.): Irrigation in Horticulture (KTBL-Schrift; Bd. 328). Münster 1988, ISBN 3-7843-1771-5 .
- Harmen Storck, Reimar von Alvensleben : Taschenbuch des Gartenbaues. Information and decision support for the farm manager . Ulmer, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8001-4112-4