Investigation of automated nutrient solution feeding variables based on the slab weight for efficient water and nutrient management of paprika production

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate potential variables that can be used in slab weight-based automated nutrient solution feeding algorithms for efficient water and nutrient management for paprika production in Korea. A slab weight measurement system was installed at paprika production farms in two provinces (Gangwon and Gyeongsangnam-do) in Korea, and we analyzed the fertigation data at production farms, and to investigate the variables applicable to the weight control-based automated nutrient feeding system. As the result, the difference in the amount of fertigation was mostly dependent on the growing season rather than the region, and the daily fertigation amount was determined by the number of fertigation applications per day, suggesting environmental data such as temperature and relative humidity would be the required variable for season estimation, and the number of fertigation applications would be the control variable for automated fertigation system. The sunrise and sunset times were the most critical variables for fertigation timing, suggesting the weather information will need to be integrated into the system. The demand for fertigation was different depending on the crop growth stages, thus numerical variables that can quantify the crop growth stages should be developed further. Further study for the leaching fraction would be required to use it for the potential control variable, since complex considerations for the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution supplied and drained and the fertigation amount per application would affect the leaching fraction value. Consequently, the crop weight change data could provide the information for analysis of nutrient feeding in the production farms, and we could consider the various measurement and control variables that can be used in the weight-based automated nutrient feeding system.