ISHS VIII International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates: Advances in Soil and Soilless Cultivation under Protected Environment IMPROVING YIELD OF VEGETABLES BY USING SOILLESS MICRO-GARDEN TECHNOLOGIES IN PERI-URBAN AREA OF NORTH-EAST BRAZIL

ISHS II International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture LEARNING THE VALUE OF GARDENING: RESULTS FROM AN EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY BASED SIMPLIFIED HYDROPONICS IN NORTH-EAST BRAZIL

ISHS II International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture SIMPLIFIED HYDROPONIC FLOATING SYSTEMS FOR VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN TRUJILLO, PERU

Climate change significantly impacts agriculture and forage production, requiring the implementation of strategies toward increased water and energy use efficiency. So, this study investigated the yield of forage cactus (Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw) under different irrigation depths using brackish groundwater (1.7 dS m⁻¹), whose management was based on reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimated by the Hargreave–Samani (HS) and Penman–Monteith (PM) equations. The research was conducted in Independência, Ceará, Brazil, under the tropical semi-arid climate. A randomized block design in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme was employed, varying the ET₀ estimation equations (HS and PM) and irrigation levels (0; 20; 40; 70; and 100% of total required irrigation—TRI). Growth, productivity, and water use efficiency variables were evaluated at 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment initiation. The economic analysis focused on added value, farmer income, and social reproduction level. The results showed no isolated effect of the equations or their interaction with irrigation depths on the analyzed variables, suggesting that irrigation management can be effectively performed using the simpler HS equation. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference between the means of 100% and 70% TRI as well as between 70% and 40% TRI for most variables. This indicates satisfactory crop yield under deficit irrigation. Dry matter productivity and farmer income at 12 months resulting from complementary irrigation with depths between 40% and 70% of TRI were significantly higher than under rainfed conditions. The 70% depth resulted in yields equivalent to those at 100% TRI, with the social reproduction level being achieved on 0.65 hectares in the second year.

ISHS International Symposium on the Socio-Economic Impact of Modern Vegetable Production Technology in Tropical Asia FARMERS-TO-CONSUMERS: AN EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABLE SOILLESS HORTICULTURE IN URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AREAS

ISHS II International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture SIMPLIFIED SUBSTRATE SOILLESS CULTURE FOR VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN TRUJILLO, PERU