Effect of irrigation frequency on the quality of St. Augustine turfgrass using subsurface drip irrigation system controlled via internet

Abstract

The irrigation frequency establishes the quality of St. Augustine turfgrass (Stenotaphrum Secundatum), when soil moisture content is close to field capacity and water is retained in the soil with less energy. This hydric soil condition requires frequent and fractional irrigations, causing a greater demand for labor and time that is overcome with the low cost of automation and remote control. The objective of the work was to evaluate the effect of the irrigation frequency for the St. Augustine turfgrass using an automated and remote-controlled subsurface drip irrigation system via Internet. The research was carried out in the city of Lima, Universidad Nacional Agraria, La Molina. The Arduino and Blynk platforms, sensors, actuators, and microcontrollers were used for the design of automation and remote control. The experimental design was completely randomized, four treatments and three repetitions. The T1 - irrigation frequency of 2 times a day; T2 - irrigation frequency 3 times a day; T3 - irrigation frequency 1 time a day; T4 - irrigation frequency every 3 days. Normalized differential vegetation index, soil moisture distribution uniformity, turfgrass leaf growth, soil moisture content, plant cover, dry and wet leaf weight were evaluated from March to June in 2019. The best treatment was T2 for St. Augustine turfgrass, because it maintained soil moisture close to field capacity, the NDVI obtained values of 0.65. The automation and remote control of the subsurface drip irrigation system made it possible to improve water management, saving time and labor.