Zakaria, Abdul Aziz

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

UPM Research Report 1997-2000, Vol II, Section 2-Extended AbstractsAn Automatic Irrigation System for Commercial Production of AdvancedPlanting MaterialsAbdul Azlz ZakarlaFaculty of EngineeringUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM, Serdang, SelangorMalaysiaTelephone 03-89466413E-mail oJCorresponding:Authoraziz@eng.upm.edu.myKey words: Automatic Irrigation, Fertigation, Horticultural Nurseries, Water Requirements, AdvancedPlanting MaterialsIntroductionHorticulture is widely practiced as an industry and as a hobby. The horticulture industry is responsible for theproduction of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals for local and export market. Horticulturist in the floral, landscapingand nurseries produce ornamental plants for use in creating attractive surroundings outside or inside the buildings. Thehorticulture industry is becoming an important sector. The demand for fruits, vegetables, cut flowers and otherornamentals are increasing every year. The estimated market value in this sector can be worth a few billion ringgit. Dueto increasing demand for planting materials, horticultural nurseries are mushrooming in every part of the country.From small roadside nursery to large-scale business by the corporate sector, the horticultural industry is expanding fast.Interest in agro-tourism and agro-hobby are steadily increasing. So, the demand for fruits and other horticultural plantsis expected to increase. Irrigation is one of the most important operation in a commercial nursery. For plants grown inpolybags, irrigation need to be done on a daily basis. Irrigation is time consuming and requires skilled labour.Automatic irrigation and fertigation system will improve irrigation efficiency and plant quality apart from reducedlabour cost.M~terials and MethodsAutomated irrigation system is being developed at UPM using imported components. A 6-station controller withsolenoid valve is being evaluated for irrigation of fruit seedlings grown in ceramic pots. Micro-sprayers, perforatedhose, and mini sprinklers are being evaluated for their performances. Hattery -operated valves are also being evaluatedfor application in areas with sufficient pressure from the main line. Information on irrigation water requirements fornursery is important in the design and selection of sprinkler or emitter spacing and discharge. Different size plants willrequire different volume of water to meet the evapotranspiration. For irrigating plants grown in containers, point sourceemitters, microsprayers, or perforated hose can be used, Battery operated valves were installed tv irrigate fruit seedlingsgrown in polybags. A 6-station controller was set up to irrigate fruit seedlings grown in ceramic pots. Only three laterallines were set-up to irrigate pulasan, water-apple, and longan seedling. Battery operated valves were also used wherethe mainline water pressure is high. A Netafim fertilizer injector was also added to the irrigation system for theapplication of soluble fertilizers using an open and a closed looped lateral pipe.Results and DiscussionResults from the water balance study showed that the average evapotranspiration rate for the fruit seedlings is about4.0mm per day. The system was operating successfully, provided there is no power failure. The only problem is thatsometimes the solenoid valves do not closed fully when actuated to do so. This result in over-irrigation for that lateralline. Based on the moisture characteristic of the soil used, the system was program to operate once a day every for thepeak water demand period of June through August. The battery-operated valves were installed at a commercial nursery.The programmable valves have been working successfully for the past two years. The only precaution that has to betaken is to protect the battery-operated valve from rainfall. The other problem that can happen is clogging of the valvedue to lack of good filtration system. Results from the fertilizer injection system show that fertilizer distribution for theclosed looped system are more uniformly distributed than the open loop.ConclusionsA 6-station programmable controller with solenoid valves was set up at UPM for automated irrigation of fruit seedlingsgrown in ceramic pots. The system was set up to irrigate only a small number of plants but can be expanded to operatemore stations. From initial water balance study, the average evapotranspiration for the fruit seedlings grown in largeceramic pots is about 4.0mm per day. This system can be used for irrigation of larger nurseries. For smaller nurseries2Agricultural Scienceswith available water supply from the main, battery-operated programmable valves are recommended. Although severalfertilizer rates were tested, injection rate of 80 IIhr and 100 l/hr are recommended.Benefits from the studyHorticulture nursery operators can benefits from this study because crop water requirements, choice of controllers andsolenoid valve can be made so as to optimize the use of limited water supplyPatent(s}, if applicable:NilStage of Commercialization, if applicable:NilProject Publications in Refereed Journals:NilI. M.S.M. Amin, M.H. Faruqui, A.A. Zakaria and F. Abdullah. 2000. Microsprinkler Discharge Uniformity Evaluation.PERTANIKA Journal of Science and Technology2. M.S.M. Amin, A.A. Zakaria and S. Sukiman. 2000. Microsprinkler Discharge Uniformity Evaluation. PERTANIKA Journal ofScience and TechnologyProject Publications in Conference ProceedingsA.A. Zakaria, 2000. Rainfed Agriculture and Clever Use of Water Resources in Malaysia. Proceedings of the l2'b Asian AgricultureSymposium 2000. Khon Kaen, Thailand.IRPA Project number: 01-02-04-0132UPM Research Cluster: AFF3

An automatic irrigation system for commercial production of advanced planting materials

http://psasir.upm.edu.my/41964/1/1.%20An%20Automatic%20irrigation.pdf

An automatic irrigation system for commercial production of advanced planting materials

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