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An integrated, multisensor system for the continuous monitoring of water dynamics in rice fields under different irrigation regimes

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Abstract

The cultivation of rice, one of the most important staple crops worldwide, has very high water requirements. A variety of irrigation practices are applied, whose pros and cons, both in terms of water productivity and of their effects on the environment, are not completely understood yet. The continuous monitoring of irrigation and rainfall inputs, as well as of soil water dynamics, is a very important factor in the analysis of these practices. At the same time, however, it represents a challenging and costly task because of the complexity of the processes involved, of the difference in nature and magnitude of the driving variables and of the high variety of field conditions. In this paper, we present the prototype of an integrated, multisensor system for the continuous monitoring of water dynamics in rice fields under different irrigation regimes. The system consists of the following: (1) flow measurement devices for the monitoring of irrigation supply and tailwater drainage; (2) piezometers for groundwater level monitoring; (3) level gauges for monitoring the flooding depth; (4) multilevel tensiometers and moisture sensor clusters to monitor soil water status; (5) eddy covariance station for the estimation of evapotranspiration fluxes and (6) wireless transmission devices and software interface for data transfer, storage and control from remote computer. The system is modular and it is replicable in different field conditions. It was successfully applied over a 2-year period in three experimental plots in Northern Italy, each one with a different water management strategy. In the paper, we present information concerning the different instruments selected, their interconnections and their integration in a common remote control scheme. We also provide considerations and figures on the material and labour costs of the installation and management of the system.

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Acknowledgments

The research described in this paper was financed by Regione Lombardia (BIOGESTECA Project) and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (PRIN2010-2011), which are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also wish to thank Gianluca Beltarre and his staff for the assistance in the field work.

Disclaimer

The brand names of sensors and any commercial products or materials mentioned in this publication are for identification purpose only and do not constitute any endorsement or recommendation for use, by the University of Milan and the co-authors’ institutions.

Authors’ contributions

The authors contributed equally.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Funding

The work was supported by Regione Lombardia under the grants “Fondo per la promozione di accordi istituzionali,” Project “ Biogesteca ” – Piattaforma di biotecnologie verdi e di tecniche gestionali per un sistema agricolo ad elevata sostenibilità ambientale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DISAA—Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Enrico Antonio Chiaradia, Arianna Facchi, Daniele Masseroni, Daniele Ferrari, Gian Battista Bischetti, Olfa Gharsallah, Sandra Cesari de Maria, Michele Rienzner, Ezio Naldi & Claudio Gandolfi

  2. ENR, Ente Nazionale Risi, Castello d’Agogna, Italy

    Marco Romani

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  1. Enrico Antonio Chiaradia
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  2. Arianna Facchi
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  3. Daniele Masseroni
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  4. Daniele Ferrari
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  5. Gian Battista Bischetti
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  6. Olfa Gharsallah
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  7. Sandra Cesari de Maria
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  8. Michele Rienzner
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  9. Ezio Naldi
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  10. Marco Romani
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  11. Claudio Gandolfi
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Correspondence to Enrico Antonio Chiaradia.

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Chiaradia, E.A., Facchi, A., Masseroni, D. et al. An integrated, multisensor system for the continuous monitoring of water dynamics in rice fields under different irrigation regimes. Environ Monit Assess 187, 586 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4796-8

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