Work

Development and implementation of an early warning system for irrigation in intensive tomato seedling cultivation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: During tomato seedling cultivation, the growing medium and irrigation strategy directly influence seedling growth and determine seedling quality. In this study, the effects of different growing media and irrigation volumes on seedling development were investigated, revealing that tomato seedlings grown with a medium porosity of 0.56 and an irrigation volume of 80–90% of the medium porosity showed optimal quality. Then, to optimize the irrigation strategy for tomato seedlings, a warning model was developed using seedlings at various developmental stages (one-leaf-one-apex (I), two-leaf-one-apex (II), and three-leaf-one-apex (III)). This model integrates environmental parameters with seedling water consumption to trigger warnings when substrate moisture levels drop to those that could cause wilting. Furthermore, greenhouse validation results showed that the predicted water consumption at each stage matched the actual water use. The model can guide the creation of an automated irrigation control system during seedling growth, establish standardized production methods, and reduce labor costs.

Source: Agricultural Water Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109884