ISSN 2756-3804
International Journal of Irrigation and Water Management ISSN 5423-5294 Vol. 7 (3), pp. 001-005, March, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Development of a low-cost tensiometer driven irrigation control unit and evaluation of its suitability for irrigation of lychee trees in the uplands of Northern Thailand in a participatory approach
Satid Pinmanee1, Wolfram Spreer1,2*, Klaus Spohrer2, Somchai Ongprasert1,3 and Joachim Müller1,2
1The Uplands Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
2Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
3Department of Soil Resources and Environment, Mae Jo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Accepted 27 October, 2019
Abstract
In upland areas of Northern Thailand, lychee (Litchi chinensis, Sonn.) is one of the predominant fruit crops. Fruit development takes place during the dry season (January until June). Therefore, high lychee yields can only be obtained under irrigation. As water is an increasingly scarce resource in the hillsides, strategies for more efficient water use are fundamental for a sustainable increase in agricultural production. An Automatic Tensio Control (ATC) unit was developed to use soil matric potential to open and close the inlet valve of a micro-irrigation lateral. In order to test the functioning of the ATC in the field, four different irrigation regimes have been tested in cooperation with local farmers on 10 year old lychee trees on a commercial orchard in Mae Sa Mai, close to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Testing the ATC on station and under field conditions, it has proven its reliability in maintaining a favorable moisture regime in the soil. The irrigated lychee trees responded to ATC irrigation with a higher yield and higher fruit weight compared to the other treatments. ATC works without electric components, so that it can be operated in areas without electricity. Furthermore, it is assembled from cheap and simple materials. Thus, it can be easily copied and adapted to different agro-ecological and socio-economic environments.
Key words: Litchi chinensis, automatic irrigation, appropriate technology, soil moisture.