• the amount of water loss in pot-in-pot nurseries due to different levels of drip irrigation and rainfall
• the levels of nutrients and pesticide residues in leachate with various irrigation schedules and pesticide application methods
• the relationship between the amount of irrigation and medium moisture to tree growth.

Each system consists of a plot containing

• 50 trees in a pot-in-pot system and irrigated with micro spray stakes
• 10 drainage water measurement devices
• 10 container substrate moisture probes
• 10 thermocouples
• one weather station
• two data loggers.

We are collecting data on

• the amount of irrigation
• drainage water loss
• substrate moisture content and temperature
• weather conditions
• tree caliper growth
• levels of nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K) in drainage water

In addition, we are developing an automatic irrigation control system specifically for pot-in-pot production systems.

Studies using this system will impact the nursery industry as it seeks to develop methods to

• improve water/nutrient usage
• reduce waste water and nutrient use
• minimize the release of excess nutrients

For more information see:

A New System to Monitor Water and Nutrient Use in Pot-in-Pot Nursery Production Systems	Publication
Real-Time Measurement of Drainage from Pot-in-Pot Container Nurseries	Publication
Monitoring Water Use, Nutrient Management, Drainage and Leachate in Pot-in-Pot Nursery Container Production	Publication
Monitoring Water Use, Nutrient Management, Drainage and Leachate in Pot-in-Pot Nursery Container Production	Poster
Contact: Heping Zhu