Evaluate the importance of water and water-delivery systems.
Evaluation should include
- permanent wilting point
- water quality, including electrical conductivity, pH, and nutrient content
- sources of water
- types of water treatments
- types of pumps and power used in water delivery systems
- types of irrigation systems for floriculture, including
- hand watering
- drip irrigation using microtubes
- in-line drippers
- perimeter nozzles
- subirrigation
- capillary mat
- overhead
- automatic devices (e.g., timers) in irrigation systems.
Process/Skill Questions:
- What is permanent wilting point?
- How does water quality affect plant growth?
- What sources of water may be available to growers?
- What types of water treatment systems can be used to correct water quality?
- What are the major attributes of each of the water delivery systems?
- What are the limitations of automatic watering?
- What are the major components of a watering system?
- What are the major costs associated with a watering system?