The use of the wetting front detector as an irrigation‐scheduling tool for pepper production in the Upper East Region of Ghana: Evidence from field experiment and farmers' perceptions

Abstract

We compare the effect of the wetting front detector on yield and water productivity with farmers' practices (FP) and irrigation requirements based on crop water requirement calculation (IRCWR). A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of the wetting front detector, FP and IRCWR combined with six fertilizer rates. We also interviewed 50 farmers to understand their perception about the use and associated concerns with the wetting front detector. Analysis of variance and partial budget economic analysis were performed. The results show that the wetting front detector saved 16% of irrigation water compared to FP, which in turn led to 16% labour saving to irrigate pepper as compared to FP. Yield and water productivity of pepper were not significantly affected by the irrigation regimes. Regardless of irrigation regimes, yield of pepper was significantly influenced by fertilizer treatment in both years. Although the highest fresh fruit yield of pepper (8.6 t ha −1) was recorded from Fortifer granules, the highest marginal rate of return was obtained from application of inorganic fertilizer including 173 N, 36 P,18 K ha‾¹. The majority of farmers perceived the wetting front detector as low risk and compatible to use. The result also suggests that farmers are interested in buying and adopting the tool for future use. K E Y W O R D S farmers' perception, irrigation scheduling, pepper, water productivity, wetting front detector Résumé Nous comparons l'effet du détecteur de front de mouillage sur le rendement et la productivité de l'eau avec les pratiques des agriculteurs (FP) et les besoins d'irrigation sur la base du calcul des besoins en eau des cultures (IRCWR). Une expérience sur le terrain a été menée pour évaluer l'effet du détecteur de front de mouillage, FP et IRCWR combiné avec six taux d'engrais. Nous avons *Utilisation du détecteur frontal mouillant comme outil de programmation de l'irrigation pour la production de poivre dans la région du Haut-est du Ghana: preuve par expérience de terrain et par les perceptions des agriculteurs.

Solar-based irrigation systems as a game changer to improve agricultural practices in sub-Sahara Africa: A case study from Mali

“…In situations when there are no industries or equivalent employers to provide local people with income-generating opportunities, the implementation of small-scale SBISs with the provision of required skills could be a useful option to enhance the livelihood of rural communities. This needs to include the introduction of low-cost soil water sensors that are useful to determine the minimum amount of water and frequency of irrigation (Adimassu et al, 2020;CSIRO, 2021).…”