Department of Vegetable Crops

"GS-Mobil" - GSP- and server aided consulting system for irrigation management/scheduling by climatic water balance for vegetable crops

Project period
2012 - 2016

As part of an innovation project funded by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), the Geisenheim Institute of Vegetable Crops, the German Weather Service (DWD) and the Helm-Software, the Geisenheim Irrigation Scheduling for field vegetables is getting closer to practice via GS-Mobil.
 
The principles of the Geisenheim Irrigation Scheduling are based on the balance between evaporation, precipitation and irrigation quantities. The evapotranspiration is calculated on the basis of reference evapotranspiration and kc values. These kc values depend on the plant species and development. Since the changes in kc value are described by the temperature sum based model, the users no longer need to record the plant development in order to select the appropriate kc value (Fig. 1).

The results from the project showed that the dynamic adaptation of kc values can be achieved with the temperature sum model, which facilitates the application of the Geisenheim Irrigation Scheduling. The Helm-Software and DWD were able to create the basis of user friendly GPS- and server-supported irrigation consulting system GS-Mobil, which is available for lettuce and onion.

The modelling of kc values based on temperature sums. The course of the curve derived from the parameters resulted from the relationship between fresh mass and temperature sum (Fig. 4 and 5).

Fig. 1: Schematic representation of the previous kc step function and the new kc temperature sum model for onion
Fig. 1: Schematic representation of the previous kc step function and the new kc temperature sum model for onion
Fig. 2: Leaf lettuce 'Linaro' (RZ)
Fig. 2: Leaf lettuce 'Linaro' (RZ)
Fig. 3: Onion 'Summit' (Bejo)
Fig. 3: Onion 'Summit' (Bejo)
Fig. 4: Development of the fresh mass of the leaf lettuce 'Linaro' (RZ) with growth function
Fig. 4: Development of the fresh mass of the leaf lettuce 'Linaro' (RZ) with growth function
Fig. 5:  Development of fresh mass of the onion 'Summit' (Bejo) with growth function
Fig. 5: Development of fresh mass of the onion 'Summit' (Bejo) with growth function

Founded by

Contact

Matthias Olberz
Matthias Olberz, M.Sc.
Building 1005
Room 04
Phone +49 6722 502 2542
Matthias.Olberz(at)hs-gm.de Details