Subirrigation equipment for the production of citrus rootstocks: Design and hydraulic assessment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to design and characterize hydraulic subirrigation equipment for the citrus rootstocks production of to allow the water capillary rise for the seedling stage. This equipment was designed since the citrus seedling phase occurs in plastic containers with substrate, and because there is a need to increase the irrigation efficiency in this sector. The methodology consisted of: (i) identification and characterization of the irrigation methods used in the citrus rootstocks production; (ii) the design of subirrigation equipment prototype; and, (iii) the construction and hydraulic evaluation of the prototype equipment. After a model was designed, 10 prototypes were built with two different dimensions (44 × 29 × 15 cm and 62 × 41 × 15 cm), and the theoretical and experimental relationships of flow and operating pressure were determined. The proposed equipment was designed according to engineering criteria that allows its evaluation for commercial use, although additional field trials are required for its final adjustment. Moreover, the theoretical equation of flow rate was validated for small-immersed orifices in thin walls, as an operational condition of the developed subirrigation equipment.

Keywords

• Citrus crop; Capillary rise; Containers; Substrate; Protected environment