Precision Agriculture Approaches for Enhancing Cut Roses Yield and Irrigation Water Sustainability Under Soilless Systems

Abstract

Introduction: Optimizing irrigation use efficiency in soilless culture systems is a critical challenge, particularly for high-value ornamental crops like cut roses facing escalating irrigation scarcity.
Objective: This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the actual evapotranspiration ( ), agronomic traits, and irrigation savings of cut roses under automated, sensor-driven precision irrigation.
Methods: A field experiment was carried out in a smart greenhouse in the 2023-2024 season in a biphasic planter box (peat-perlite 1:2 v/v). A GS3 dielectric sensor-controlled automated fertigation system was employed to provide four treatments of drip irrigation: full crop requirement, 75%, 50%, and 25%. (F1: 1500 mm, 100% ) as a control, and three regulated deficit thresholds (F2: 1125 mm [75%]; F3: 750 mm [50%]; and F4: 500 mm [33.3%]).
Results: The sensor-based architecture accurately tracked spatiotemporal moisture dynamics, enabling substantial irrigation savings of 25%, 50%, and 66.6% for F2, F3, and F4, respectively. Agronomically, the non-limiting F1 regime maximized floral yield, showing significant increases of 9%, 19%, and 32% compared to the F2, F3, and F4 treatments. Concurrently, severe moisture depletion (F4) significantly suppressed structural growth and leaf area index. Conclusion: Integrating real-time sensor telemetry with localized surface drip systems provides a sustainable framework for managing finite irrigation resources, dynamically balancing cut rose productivity with high irrigation conservation efficacy in advanced agricultural environments.