Development of Smart Weighing Lysimeter for Measuring Evapotranspiration and Developing Crop Coefficient for Greenhouse Chrysanthemum

Abstract

The management of water resources is a priority problem in agriculture, especially in areas with a limited water supply. The determination of crop water requirements and crop coefficient (Kc) of agricultural crops helps to create an appropriate irrigation schedule for the effective management of irrigation water. A portable smart weighing lysimeter (1000 × 1000 mm and 600 mm depth) was developed at CPCT, IARI, New Delhi for real‐time measurement of Crop Coefficient (Kc) and water requirement of chrysanthemum crop and bulk data storage. The paper discusses the assembly, structural and operational design of the portable smart weighting lysimeter. The performance characteristics of the developed lysimeter were evaluated under different load conditions. The Kc values of the chrysanthemum crop obtained from the lysimeter installed inside the greenhouse were Kc ini. 0.43 and 0.38, Kc mid‐1.27 and 1.25, and Kc end‐0.67 and 0.59 for the years 2019– 2020 and 2020–2021, respectively, which apprehensively corroborated with the FAO 56 paper for determination of crop coefficient. The Kc values decreased progressively at the late‐season stage because of the maturity and aging of the leaves. The lysimeter’s edge temperature was somewhat higher, whereas the center temperature closely matched the field temperature. The temperature difference between the center and the edge increased as the ambient temperature rose. The developed smart lysimeter system has unique applications due to its real‐time measurement, portable attribute, and ability to produce accurate results for determining crop water use and crop coefficient for greenhouse chrysanthemum crops.