poster - International Conference of Agricultural Engineering

The efficiency of the irrigation methods ranges from 0.50 to 0.80 for the surface
irrigation methods, from 0.60 to 0.90 for the sprinkle irrigation methods, Esprinkle,
and from 0.80 to 0.95 for the drip irrigation, Edrip (Papazafiriou 1999).
3.3. Performance indicators calculation
Table 2 presents the values of the performance indicators for the three different
cases applied in the pilot study in the experimental greenhouse with the tomato crop.
It should be noted here that all values are per m 2 . It is clear that the close hydroponic
systems have the best indicators in the three tested categories. Close hydroponic
systems can lead to higher yields with low irrigation needs, but at the same time they
need state of the art equipment and irrigation systems and experience greenhouse
managers.
Case Relative yield Relative water productivity Production value of
land
Open system 0.62 0.024 0.038
Close system 0.71 0.037 0.044
Semi close 0.66 0.032 0.041
References
Allen, R.G., Pereira, L.S., Raes, D., & Smith, M. (1998). Crop evapotranspiration -
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Blaney, H.F., & Criddle, W.D. (1950) Determining water requirements in irrigated
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Service, Washington DC
FAO (2000). Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2000).
Crops and drops: making the best use of water for agriculture. On-line publication,
www.fao.org. FAO, Rome
Farmani, R., Savic, D.A. & Walters, G.A. (2005). Evolutionary multi-objective
optimization in water distribution network design. Engineering Optimization, 37, 167-
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Malano H., Burton, M., & Makin, I. (2004). Benchmarking performance in the
irrigation and drainage sector: a tool for change. Irrigation and Drainage, 53, 119-
133.
Papazafiriou ZG (1999) Water demands of crops. Ziti, Thessaloniki (in Greek)