water
Article A Smart Irrigation Tool to Determine the Effects of ENSO on Water Requirements for Tomato Production in Mozambique
Eduardo Gelcer 1,2 , Clyde W. Fraisse 1,*, Lincoln Zotarelli 3, Daniel Perondi 1, Hipólito A. Malia 4, Carvalho C. Ecole 4 and Kati W. Migliaccio 1 1 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; [email protected] (E.G.); dperondi@ufl.edu (D.P.); klwhite@ufl.edu (K.W.M.) 2 CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, DF 70040-020, Brazil 3 Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; lzota@ufl.edu 4 Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research, Maputo 3658, Mozambique; [email protected] (H.A.M.); [email protected] (C.C.E.) * Correspondence: cfraisse@ufl.edu; Tel.: +1-352-392-1864 (ext. 271)
Received: 29 September 2018; Accepted: 5 December 2018; Published: 10 December 2018
Abstract: Irrigation scheduling is used by growers to determine the right amount and timing of water application. In most parts of Mozambique, 90% of the total yearly precipitation occurs from November to March. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon influences the climate in Mozambique and affects the water demand for crop production. The objectives of this work were to quantify the effects of ENSO phenomenon on tomato crop water requirements, and to create the AgroClimate irrigation tool (http://mz.agroclimate.org/) to assist farmers in improving irrigation management. This study was based on daily grid-based climate information from 1983 to 2016 from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis. Daily crop evapotranspiration was calculated by Hargreaves equation and crop coefficients. This tool is available online and considers different planting dates, ENSO phases, and crop growing season lengths. Irrigation needs varied from less than 250 mm per growing cycle during winter to 550 mm during spring. Both El Niño and La Niña influenced the irrigation scheduling, especially from November to March. El Niño periods were related to increased water demand due to drier and warmer conditions, while the opposite was observed for La Niña. The ENSO information might be used to understand climate variability and improve tomato irrigation scheduling in Mozambique.
Keywords: Irrigation scheduling; Solanum lycopersicum; El Niño; water stress; decision support system; climate variability
1. Introduction Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the horticultural crop with the third largest area in Mozambique, only behind pumpkin and cucumber. Tomatoes are produced by more than 270,000 growers using an area larger than 36,000 ha [1]. Family agriculture accounts for approximately 84% of the tomato production area in the country [2]. For most areas in Mozambique, 90% of the rain occurs from November to March. However, the main tomato production season extends from March to October, which is the period with proper air temperatures for the crop development [3]. Therefore, irrigation is an essential practice for tomato production in the country. The irrigated area in Mozambique is around 118,000 ha [2], however, only 34% of the area is operational [4]. An adequate irrigation schedule defines the correct amount of water and the correct time for its application [5] and is beneficial during both dry and rainy seasons by providing more efficient use of
Water 2018, 10, 1820; doi:10.3390/w10121820 www.mdpi.com/journal/water Water 2018, 10, 1820 2 of 16 water resources and less irrigation related leaching of agrochemicals. Patane et al. (2012) [6] observed that water stress during initial growth negatively affected tomato marketable yield. However, water restriction after flowering did not result in significant yield losses. Allen et al. (1998) [7] reported that tomato crops can tolerate up to 40% water deficit, while Marouelli et al. [8] reported that the tolerable deficit varies from 20% for sandy soils to 40% for clay soils. Since growers cannot modify the weather conditions by modifying the microenvironment (e.g., cultivation under high tunnels) to avoid its variability, they have to understand how the variability occurs to benefit from it and to minimize its negative effects [9]. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is the main phenomenon influencing climate variability around the world [9–13] and in Mozambique [3,14,15]. In Mozambique, the warm phase of ENSO (El Niño) is related to drier and warmer conditions in most parts of the country from December to May, while the cold phase of ENSO (La Niña) has the opposite effects during the same period [16]. Few authors have reported the effects of ENSO on horticultural production in Africa in general, and in Mozambique in particular. ENSO phenomenon has greater impact on tomato crop planting date during the Southern hemisphere fall and spring seasons than during the winter and summer [3]. While ENSO influences the weather patterns during the summer, the air temperature and rainfall amounts are excessively high for tomato production, independently of the ENSO phase. Stige et al. (2006) [12] asserts that food production in Africa might be severely affected by ENSO conditions and observed 20–50% yield reduction for row crops in Southern Africa during strong El Niño years. El Niño has been related to early start and termination of the rainy season and inconsistent rain events, causing increased dry spells [17]. The AgroClimate Mozambique (http://mz.agroclimate.org/)[16] is a decision support system created to organize climate and weather information in a user-friendly way, to inform the impacts of weather on specific crops, as well as to provide management adaptation suggestions aimed at reducing crop production risk and increasing resource use efficiency. As climate information is more valuable for growers if there is a clear management adaptation related to it [9], AgroClimate aims to assist growers, extension agents and researchers in the use of weather information to make management adaptations to reduce risks associated with climate variability. The AgroClimate Mozambique provides knowledge regarding the climate inter and intra-years variability, as well as information to help farmers make both strategic pre-season decisions and in-season operational decisions [18]. Due to lack of weather-related information and lack of soil sensors, growers typically make crop water management decisions based on field observations rather than on field measurements or on model estimations. An alternative solution for farmers is to use simple models based on crop evapotranspiration. These models have been developed to define the water requirement by a specific crop and to improve irrigation efficiency [5,19]. Muñoz-Carpena et al. (2005) [20] observed similar tomato crop yield when comparing traditional irrigation management with irrigation schedules based on historical evapotranspiration, tensiometers, and granular matrix sensors. The schedule based on historical evapotranspiration applied 45% less water than the traditional management, 39–51% more water than the treatments using tensiometers, and similar amount when compared with the matrix granular sensor. The last one is a more modern sensor, made of a porous material, similar to a tensiometer and that has been used in automatic irrigation systems. Water savings have been reported when using evapotranspiration-based irrigation schedule compared to traditional (time-based) irrigation schedule for turfgrass [21,22]. Vellidis et al. (2016) [23] observed that ET-based irrigation schedule for cotton production over performed traditional schedule in yield, water use efficiency, and water application. The ET-based method had performance comparable with soil moisture sensors. However, model application is limited due to the large amount of inputs required, especially weather information that is not freely and widely available in Mozambique. As ENSO is related to climate variability, and environmental conditions directly influence the water requirement of crops, the first objective of this study was to identify how the ENSO phenomenon affects crop water requirements for tomato production in Mozambique. The second objective was Water 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 16
As ENSO is related to climate variability, and environmental conditions directly influence the water requirement of crops, the first objective of this study was to identify how the ENSO Waterphenomenon2018, 10, 1820 affects crop water requirements for tomato production in Mozambique. The second3 of 16 objective was to develop the AgroClimate Mozambique irrigation tool (http://mz.agroclimate.org/) to[16] develop to assist the farmers AgroClimate in improv Mozambiqueing irrigation irrigation management, tool ( http://mz.agroclimate.org/and reducing plant water stress)[16 and] to water assist farmerslosses. in improving irrigation management, and reducing plant water stress and water losses.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area Located in southeastern Africa Africa,, between between the the latitudes latitudes -10°28−10◦28′ and0 and -26°52−26′◦, 52longitudes0, longitudes 30°22 30′ ◦and220 and40°83 40′, ◦with830, withelevations elevations varying varying from 0 from to 2400 0 to m 2400 above m abovesea level sea (Figure level (Figure 1a), Mozambique1a), Mozambique has strong has strongmaritime maritime influence, influence, since the since coast the extends coast extendsfor more for than more 2400 than km 2400[24]. Several km [24]. climates Several are climates observed are observedwithin the within country the countrydue to duethe tolatitude the latitude and andelev elevationation variability. variability. Based Based on on the the Köppen-Geiger Köppen-Geiger classificationclassification (Figure(Figure1 b),1b), the the climate climate in in Mozambique Mozambique is equatorial is equatorial savannah savannah with with dry wintersdry winters (Aw) (Aw) with somewith some areas havingareas having hot semi-arid hot semi-arid climate (BSh),climate while (BSh), higher-elevation while higher-elevation regions have regions warm have temperate warm climatetemperate with climate dry winters with dry and winters hot summers and hot (Cwa)summers [25]. (Cwa) In the [25]. Western In the part Western of Gaza, part one of Gaza, of the one driest of regionsthe driest of theregions country, of thethe yearlycountry, rainfall the isyearly around rainfall 200 mm, is whilearound in the200 Zambeziamm, while province, in the theZambezia annual rainfallprovince, is aroundthe annual 1200 rainfall mm [26 is]. around In most 1200 parts mm of Mozambique,[26]. In most parts more of than Mozambique, 90% of the more annual than rainfall 90% occursof the annual from November rainfall occurs to March from while November less than to 10% March occurs while from less April than to October.10% occurs In November,from April the to averageOctober. maximumIn November, air temperature the average maymaximum reach 40air◦ Ctemperature in lower elevation may reach regions 40 °C in in the lower central elevation part of theregions country. in the In central June and part July, of the the country. air temperature In June and might July, be the as air low temperature as 6 ◦C in high might elevations be as low at as the 6 Manica,°C in high Tete, elevations and Niassa at the provinces. Manica, TheTete, yearly and Niassa average provinces. air temperature The yearly varies average between air 20temperature and 26 ◦C throughoutvaries between the 20 country and 26 [16 °C]. throughout the country [16].
(a) (b)
Figure 1. (a)(a) Elevation (MapMart,(MapMart, 20142014 ((http://www.maphttp://www.mapmart.com/mart.com/)))) and and (b) (b) climate climate of of Mozambique Mozambique using Köppen classificationclassification [[25].25]. As As = = Equatori Equatorialal savannah savannah with with dry dry summer, Aw == Equatorial savannah with dry winter, BSh == Hot Steppe climate,climate, Cfa = Warm temperate climate, fully humid with hothot summer,summer, Cwa Cwa = = Warm Warm temperate temperate climate climat withe with dry dry winter winter and hotand summer, hot summer, and Cwb and = Cwb Warm = Warmtemperate temperate climate climate with dry with winter dry winter and warm and summer.warm summer. Source: Source: Gelcer etGelcer al. (2018) et al. [(2018)3]. [3]. 2.2. Crop Evapotranspiration 2.2. Crop Evapotranspiration −1 The water requirement of a crop is the same as the crop evapotranspiration (ETC, mm day ), −1 which is calculated by multiplying the reference evapotranspiration (ETO, mm day ) by a crop coefficient (KC)[7]: Water 2018, 10, 1820 4 of 16
ETC = ETO ∗ KC (1) the KC values vary depending on the crop development phase. For the present studies, the KC values were based on References [7,8,27] (Table1). The length of each growing phase was estimated based on Reference [7] using the same relative length of each phase for all growing cycles.
Table 1. Days after planting and crop coefficient (KC) for each development phase for three generic varieties of tomato with 75-d, 90-d and 105-d growing cycle. Based on [7,8,27].
Days After Planting Development Phase KC 75-d Cycle 90-d Cycle 105-d Cycle Initial growth 0–17 0–20 0–24 0.60 Crop development 18–39 21–47 25–55 0.90 Late season 40–61 48–74 56–86 1.15 Harvest 60–75 75–90 87–105 0.90
The ETO was calculated using the Hargreaves method [28], since this method only requires air temperature data and showed low error for Mozambique when compared to ETO estimated using the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith equation [29,30], which is the standard equation to estimate ETO. The Hargreaves equation is: