Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria x hybrida) cultivation with a semipermeable membrane fertigation system

• Grant number: 20/15584-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Soil and Water Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jarbas Honorio de Miranda
• Grantee: Leonardo Vedovato Gimenez
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Currently, agricultural activities demand the use of new technologies that are designed to INCREASE efficiency in the use of resources: the rational use of water, energy and inputs. Therefore, one of these new technological alternatives that can be applied to Brazilian conditions concerns the use of semipermeable membranes, applied in the control of soil salinization by IRRIGATION, as well as promoting a more efficient use of water. In Brazil, the ornamental flower sector is currently standing out in production, with Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria x hybrida) as the second most commercialised flower specie. In this research we aim to identify whether the semipermeable membrane influences the dynamics of nutrients supplied to Alstroemeria by fertigation, as well as promoting a better development of the culture. In this way, the main objective of this research will be to evaluate the performance of the semipermeable membrane, seeking to evaluate its viability of application in the Alstroemeria production system under fertigation conditions, applying its main nutrients N, P, K and Mg, through the semipermeable membranes. The membrane irrigation system tested has been developed and provided by Prof. Greg Leslie (Director of the Global Water Institute at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia), co-author of the patents 2009/105808 and 2012/85574. To achieve these objectives, the development of Alstroemeria for cut flower production, will be evaluated in a 3 x 2 x 3 factorial experiment (three flow values of the input solution, two types of soil and three repetitions), in a protected environment. The three input flow values will be: 0.5 L min-1, 1 L min-1 and 2 L min-1. The two types of soil (clay and sandy). For analysis and evaluation of the results, statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the software SAS (Statistical Analysis System) will be done, with the purpose of evaluating the interaction between the factors mentioned above during the cultivation of Alstroemeria on the semipermeable membrane irrigation system.