Factors Affecting the Irrigation Requirement of Container-Grown Ornamentals0

摘要

The irrigation requirement of a contamer-grown ornamental plant is the amount of irrigation water needed to resupply water lost from the container substrate via evapotranspiration (ET) processes. Besides ET water loss, one also needs to consider the irrigation system's ability to deliver water to the container substrate. For sprinkler irrigation, two additional factors must be considered: (1) the plant canopy's capacity to channel water into the container that would otherwise fall between containers(described by irrigation capture factor), and (2) the irrigation system's ability to supply water uniformly within the irrigation zone. Knowledge of factors affecting irrigation requirement is critical if water is to be applied efficiently in the nursery. This is particularly important for container production as container substrates have limited water storage capacity so that, compared to field production, there is little buffer between under-and over-watering. We will discuss some important factors affecting irrigation requirement and how managers can use this information to more efficiently irrigate container-grown crops.