Research Advances in Adopting Drip Irrigation for California Organic Spinach: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to explore the viability of drip irrigation for organic spinach production and the management of spinach downy mildew disease in California. The experiment was conducted over two crop seasons at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center located in the low desert of California. Various combinations of dripline spacings and installation depths were assessed and compared with sprinkler irrigation as control treatment. Comprehensive data collection was carried out to fully understand the differences between the irrigation treatments. Statistical analysis indicated very strong evidence for an overall effect of the irrigation system on spinach fresh yields, while the number of driplines in bed had a significant impact on the shoot biomass yield. The developed canopy crop curves revealed that the leaf density of drip irrigation treatments was slightly behind (1–4 days, depending on the irrigation treatment and crop season) that of the sprinkler irrigation treatment in time. The results also demonstrated an overall effect of irrigation treatment on downy mildew, in which downy mildew incidence was lower in plots irrigated by drips following emergence when compared to the sprinkler. The study concluded that drip irrigation has the potential to be used to produce organic spinach, conserve water, enhance the efficiency of water use, and manage downy mildew, but further work is required to optimize system design, irrigation, and nitrogen management practices, as well as strategies to maintain productivity and economic viability of utilizing drip irrigation for spinach.

Household survival and resilience to food insecurity through the drip irrigation scheme in dry rural areas

“…The greatest yield is on tomatoes, which increased by 232%, followed by beans (180%), maize (95%) and covo (Brassica oleracea var acephala) (59%). Montazar et al (2020) and Postel et al (2001) confirm the significance of drip irrigation in lowincome communities and contend that it holds the key to alleviating a significant share of rural hunger and poverty.…”

“…The greatest yield is on tomatoes, which increased by 232%, followed by beans (180%), maize (95%) and covo ( Brassica oleracea var acephala ) (59%). Montazar et al ( 2020 ) and Postel et al ( 2001 ) confirm the significance of drip irrigation in low-income communities and contend that it holds the key to alleviating a significant share of rural hunger and poverty. According to ZimVAC ( 2018 ), an average household size of six needs around 10 kg of cereal per month, translating into an annual cereal requirement of 120 kg per household.…”

“…Access to irrigation will enable smallholder farmers to grow varying crop varieties and sell the surplus to the local market (Bedru et al 2020 ). The use of small-scale irrigation technologies encourages crop diversification and greatly improves land returns (Burney & Naylor 2012; Montazar, Cahn & Putman 2020 ). More recent literature describes unique mechanisms (impact pathways) connecting irrigation to beneficial food and nutritional outcomes (Passarelli et al 2018 ).…”

“…The drip irrigation, which is utilised in the Chidzadza irrigation scheme, is the most effective irrigation system for small-scale farming in semi-arid areas (FAO 2016;Montazar et al 2020;Postel et al 2001). Despite high maintenance and start-up costs, the system allows the optimal use of water resources to achieve maximum crop yields.…”

A 2020 Vision of Subsurface Drip Irrigation in the U.S.

“…Reduced spinach yield was reported for SDI compared to SprI, but SDI had better downy mildew control in the low desert region of California (Montazar et al, 2019). The researchers concluded that there was a need for further developmental work to optimize spinach production when using SDI.…”