Susmitha Nambuthiri

Evaluating a Physiological-based, On-demand Irrigation System for Container-grown Woody Plants with Different Water Requirements

Water scarcity is a growing concern as demand for clean water increases while availability is becoming largely restricted due to regulations, competition with urban and industrial water use, and contamination. Container nursery production is a high input form of agriculture and depends on irrigation because of the small volume of growing substrate and its low water holding capacity. Improving irrigation strategies is critical to managing nutrientand pesticide-laden runoff, mitigating water shortages, and optimizing production schedules. This research evaluates physiology based and sensor driven irrigation scheduling systems for water use and plant growth of container-grown woody plants with different water needs.