6th UF Water Institute Symposium Abstract

Submitter's Name	Kira Hansen
Session Name	Poster Session - Agricultural/Silvicultural Water
Poster Number	5
Author(s)	Kira Hansen,  Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (Presenting Author)
	Sanjay Shukla,  University of Florida; Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
	Nathan Holt, University of Florida Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
	Gregory Hendricks, University of Florida Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
	Compact Bed Geometries for Fresh Produce: Environmental Footprint, Disease, and Economics
	Raised-bed plastic covered beds are used globally to produce fresh-market crops (e.g. tomato, peppers, and strawberries) and returns higher yields, earlier, and better fruit, but requires high inputs. The conventional bed geometries used for drip-irrigated plasticulture system, is between 90-76 cm wide and 10-20 cm tall, and is not wetted with a single drip tape. To better fit the wetted area of a single drip tape, compact beds were designed (61-41 cm wide and 23- 30 cm tall) and evaluated at commercial vegetable farms on the east coast. Thinner beds reduced the amount of inputs needed to construct the bed with preliminary results showing sustained yield with a reduction of up to 50% in irrigation volume, 20% in fertilizer, 10% in carbon footprint (reduced plastic, fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides), and between $125 – 600/ha in input costs. Taller beds also reduced the leaching volume due to an increased residence time of the water within the bed before moving below the root zone. Taller beds also reduced the runoff volume by 15-20% due to reduction in impervious (plastic covered) areas. The effect of flooding was further reduced due to greater bed heights which decrease the root zone soil moisture and associated waterborne diseases (Phytophthora capsici). Preliminary results also showed resiliency of compact beds during Hurricane Irma; compact beds did not loose the plastic compared to compact beds which showed almost two-thirds of the plastic loss due to hurricane force winds and sustained flooding. Ultimately, compact bed geometries offer a way for growers to gain more crop per drop of inputs. Currently several producers in multiple states (FL, SC, and GA) have adopted the compact beds with an estimated impact of 1 million in cost savings and large scale reductions in water and chemical use with a potential national impact of more than 60 million per year.