Fig. 1: Comparison of drip irrigation wetting fronts in conventional and compact plasticulture beds. | npj Sustainable Agriculture

Fig. 1: Comparison of drip irrigation wetting fronts in conventional and compact plasticulture beds.

From: Resource-efficient compact bed plasticulture reduces production risks and sustainably intensifies agriculture

Fig. 1: Comparison of drip irrigation wetting fronts in conventional and compact plasticulture beds.

Conventional tomato plasticulture uses a wide (76 cm) and short (20 cm tall) bed irrigated with a single drip tape that wets less than half of the bed width. Compact beds (COMP1: 61 cm wide, 25 cm tall; and COMP2: 46 cm wide, 30 cm tall) more closely fit the wetted area. Taller compact beds increase the residence time of water and dissolved nutrients within the plant’s effective root zone (30 cm) and protect the roots from saturation resulting from flooding of the row-middle to result in an increased duration of optimal moisture and retention of nutrients.

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