EFFICIENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND IRRIGATION SCHEDULING FOR PROCESSING TOMATO: THE CHALLENGE

Research has demonstrated that maximizing efficiency of irrigation systems depends greatly on the manager's ability to: 1. Reduce and/or eliminate runoff. 2. Reduce deep percolation below the root zone. 3. Overcome the infiltration variability of the soil surface and 4. Optimize irrigation scheduling. Presently, only the subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system is capable of giving a manager this ability. This paper discusses these four factors, explains the principle of high frequency irrigation with specific emphasis on irrigation scheduling and fertigation and 2. It challenges the audience into adopting technology to improve water use efficiency of processing tomato, using subsurface drip irrigation and fertigation to optimize soil water potential and nutrient concentration gradients.