Multiplatform application for precision irrigation scheduling in strawberries

Abstract

The Doñana area in Southwestern Spain has the largest concentration of strawberry producers in Europe with an annual production 300,000 tons. Due to the high water demand of strawberries, the proximity of the Doñana national park and the increasing environmental concerns of destination countries make that the water efficiency improvement was essential for sustainability of the strawberry sector. However, strawberries are cropped in sandy soils which make the irrigation management difficult. In this work a multiplatform application consisting of a PC and a mobile module developed for Android devices (APP) has been developed. It is a useful tool that facilitates the irrigation scheduling in the strawberry sector. The software takes into account agro-climatic, soil data and information related to the hydraulic system and offers farmers daily/weekly information about the required irrigation times. The application has been used in several commercial farms, achieving water savings which range from 11% to 33%, and highlighting that efficient water use is in fact possible in the strawberry production.