DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM WATER DISTRIBUTION PERFORMANCE IN VEGETABLE GROWING UNDER PLASTIC HOUSES

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the water application performance of drip irrigation systems used for cucumber, eggplant and bell pepper in 11 plastic greenhouses in the Menderes district of İzmir, Türkiye. Two well-known indicators, the Uniformity Coefficient (UC) and the Distribution Uniformity (DU), were computed to determine the water application performance of the emitters. UC values ranged from 72 % to 95 %, so the water distribution class of the drippers ranged from Moderate to Perfect. DU values ranged from 55 % to 91 %, corresponding to classes from Poor to Perfect. The average amounts of irrigation water applied to cucumber, eggplant and bell
pepper were 407 mm, 510 mm and 337 mm, respectively. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) ranged from 15.77 to 19.20, from 7.32 to 14.21 and from 11.50 to 15.70 kg/m³ for cucumber, eggplant and bell pepper, respectively. The results indicate that proper water management is needed to achieve satisfactory water application efficiency.