Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses

Substrate is commonly used for greenhouse vegetable production in the Mediterranean regions of the EU and Türkiye. These are mostly free-draining systems in which drainage enters underlying soil. These systems are generally very contaminating. Unlike substrate-growing systems with recirculation of d...

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Main Authors: M. Gallardo, J.M. Cedeño, J.J. Magán, M.D. Fernández, R.B. Thompson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Agricultural Water Management
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425000654
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author M. Gallardo
J.M. Cedeño
J.J. Magán
M.D. Fernández
R.B. Thompson
author_facet M. Gallardo
J.M. Cedeño
J.J. Magán
M.D. Fernández
R.B. Thompson
author_sort M. Gallardo
collection DOAJ
description Substrate is commonly used for greenhouse vegetable production in the Mediterranean regions of the EU and Türkiye. These are mostly free-draining systems in which drainage enters underlying soil. These systems are generally very contaminating. Unlike substrate-growing systems with recirculation of drainage, very few tools and strategies have been developed to optimize nutrient management for free-draining substrate. The VegSyst-DSS V2 and its component VegSyst V3 simulation model were both adapted to provide recommended N, P and K concentrations for nutrient solution (NS) applied to tomato in free-draining perlite substrate. Firstly, the VegSyst model calibration for tomato, developed for non-grafted plants, was adapted to grafted plants. The recalibrated model was then used to simulate N, P and K uptake in crop dry matter. The apparent nutrient retention in or loss from perlite was calculated. Using these data, the VegSyst model V3 simulated nutrient uptake by the cropping system (i.e., in dry matter plus the apparent retention in/loss from substrate). These values were then used to simulate nutrient uptake concentrations for the growing system. These latter values were used with the mass balance equation of Sonneveld (2000), in the adapted VegSyst-DSS V2, to calculate the recommended concentrations of N, P and K in the applied NS. This work was conducted in the context of a Long Cycle (early autumn to late spring) and a Spring Cycle of grafted tomato crop grown in free-draining perlite, each with a conventional (CT) and optimized nutrient management treatment (OT) (which was based on ratios of nutrient concentrations in drainage and NS). The Long Cycle CT was used for calibration, the other three crops for validation. A suite of statistical indices indicated generally good performance of simulation of nutrient uptake in crop dry matter and by the cropping system, and of crop uptake concentration for N, P and K. The recommended NS concentrations calculated by the adapted VegSyst-DSS V2 were very similar to those of the OT treatments in Long Cycle and Spring crops. Scenario analyses demonstrated how perlite age affected recommended NS concentrations through differential nutrient retention in/loss from perlite substrate.
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spelling doaj-art-69e8564507df45499a072462e55fe3422025-02-12T05:30:28ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-04-01310109351Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhousesM. Gallardo0J.M. Cedeño1J.J. Magán2M.D. Fernández3R.B. Thompson4Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería 04120, Spain; CIAIMBITAL Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology, University of Almeria, Almería 04120, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, University of Almeria, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería 04120, SpainResearch Station of Cajamar, Cajamar Caja Rural, Paraje Las Palmerillas 25, El Ejido, Almería 0471, SpainResearch Station of Cajamar, Cajamar Caja Rural, Paraje Las Palmerillas 25, El Ejido, Almería 0471, SpainDepartment of Agronomy, University of Almeria, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería 04120, Spain; CIAIMBITAL Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology, University of Almeria, Almería 04120, Spain; Corresponding author at: Department of Agronomy, University of Almería, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada, Almería 04120, Spain.Substrate is commonly used for greenhouse vegetable production in the Mediterranean regions of the EU and Türkiye. These are mostly free-draining systems in which drainage enters underlying soil. These systems are generally very contaminating. Unlike substrate-growing systems with recirculation of drainage, very few tools and strategies have been developed to optimize nutrient management for free-draining substrate. The VegSyst-DSS V2 and its component VegSyst V3 simulation model were both adapted to provide recommended N, P and K concentrations for nutrient solution (NS) applied to tomato in free-draining perlite substrate. Firstly, the VegSyst model calibration for tomato, developed for non-grafted plants, was adapted to grafted plants. The recalibrated model was then used to simulate N, P and K uptake in crop dry matter. The apparent nutrient retention in or loss from perlite was calculated. Using these data, the VegSyst model V3 simulated nutrient uptake by the cropping system (i.e., in dry matter plus the apparent retention in/loss from substrate). These values were then used to simulate nutrient uptake concentrations for the growing system. These latter values were used with the mass balance equation of Sonneveld (2000), in the adapted VegSyst-DSS V2, to calculate the recommended concentrations of N, P and K in the applied NS. This work was conducted in the context of a Long Cycle (early autumn to late spring) and a Spring Cycle of grafted tomato crop grown in free-draining perlite, each with a conventional (CT) and optimized nutrient management treatment (OT) (which was based on ratios of nutrient concentrations in drainage and NS). The Long Cycle CT was used for calibration, the other three crops for validation. A suite of statistical indices indicated generally good performance of simulation of nutrient uptake in crop dry matter and by the cropping system, and of crop uptake concentration for N, P and K. The recommended NS concentrations calculated by the adapted VegSyst-DSS V2 were very similar to those of the OT treatments in Long Cycle and Spring crops. Scenario analyses demonstrated how perlite age affected recommended NS concentrations through differential nutrient retention in/loss from perlite substrate.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425000654Vegetable productionNutrients managementModelDecision support systemUptake concentrationNutrient uptake
spellingShingle M. Gallardo
J.M. Cedeño
J.J. Magán
M.D. Fernández
R.B. Thompson
Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
Agricultural Water Management
Vegetable production
Nutrients management
Model
Decision support system
Uptake concentration
Nutrient uptake
title Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
title_full Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
title_fullStr Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
title_full_unstemmed Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
title_short Adaptation of VegSyst-DSS for N, P and K recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in Mediterranean greenhouses
title_sort adaptation of vegsyst dss for n p and k recommendations for grafted tomato grown in perlite in mediterranean greenhouses
topic Vegetable production
Nutrients management
Model
Decision support system
Uptake concentration
Nutrient uptake
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425000654
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