Evaluating a physiological-based, on-demand irrigation system for container-grown woody plants with different water requirements

Two sensor-based irrigation scheduling systems were compared for water use and plant growth in container-grown Green Velvet boxwood (Buxus sempervirens L. × B. microphylla Siebold & Zucc. var. koreana ‘Green Velvet’) and slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis Siebold & Zucc). These crops were chosen because they have different water requirements during production. The two sensor-based irrigation systems included a physiological-based on-demand (OD) irrigation system where the set point was derived from the relationship between substrate moisture and photosynthetic rate. The second system was a daily water use (DWU) method where the amount of water used by the crop was replaced each day. The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare water use and growth metrics using the OD and DWU irrigation scheduling regimes for two container-grown woody plants that differed in their water consumption. There were no differences in root and shoot biomass or growth index due to the irrigation schedule employed for either boxwood or deutzia. For boxwood plants, OD irrigation reduced water consumption by 35.5% and enhanced water use efficiency (WUE) by 54.5% compared with DWU. Total water use of deutzia in OD zones was reduced by 26.5% compared with DWU. DWU offers the labor scheduling advantage of irrigation occurring at a set time of day, and OD offers the advantage of watering as required, potentially reducing water stress as the season progresses and as the plant size and atmospheric demand increase.