Diseño, desarrollo y evaluación de un dispositivo de bajo coste para la determinación del balance hídrico mediante técnicas de pesada utilizando sistemas embebidos
[SPA] Para ahorrar costos mediante la gestión óptima del agua de riego, se requiere un conocimiento preciso del consumo del agua de las diferentes especies y variedades de plantas en diferentes condiciones climáticas, suelos, etc. La forma más exacta de determinar este consumo agua es mediante el uso de lisímetros de pesada. Desafortunadamente, debido a los altos costes actuales, su empleo queda reducido a muy pocas estaciones de lisimetría ubicadas en centros de investigación, que se utilizan para determinar el consumo real de las plantas, y obtener modelos matemáticos para intentar extrapolar su empleo a otras parcelas que, en la mayoría de los casos, no cumplen las mismas condiciones de los ensayos que permitieron obtener los modelos (climas, suelo, cultivo, etc.) provocando errores en la estimaciones de las necesidades de agua de los cultivos. De ahí la necesidad de desarrollar nuevos lisímetros de bajo coste que permitan constituir estaciones de lisimetría a un precio asequible, y así contribuir a mejorar el manejo del riego y, por tanto, de los recursos hídricos disponibles. Esta tesis doctoral describe el diseño y desarrollo de un novedoso lisímetro de pesada de bajo coste, y su valoración técnica y económica a través de la implementación de una estación de lisimetría constituida por 16 lisímetros para analizar el consumo de agua de plantas en maceta. El sistema ha sido verificado como de alta precisión, fácil de configurar, y capaz de filtrado y almacenamiento de datos en tiempo real, así como el control de la electroválvulas para abrir o cerrar el depósito donde se almacena el agua de drenaje. Este nuevo sistema agromótico ofrece innumerables posibilidades para determinar con precisión el consumo de agua de cualquier planta. Además, si tenemos en cuenta su sostenibilidad económica, demostrado por un estudio llevado a cabo para este fin específico, que muestra un valor neto positivo del proyecto, con una probabilidad del 99%, se convierte en un fascinante instrumento para proyectos de investigación, así como una gran herramienta recomendada para la mejora de la productividad de los cultivos. [ENG] For optimal, cost-saving management of irrigation water, accurate knowledge of the overall water consumption is needed, taking into account different species and varieties of plants, weather and soil conditions. The most accurate way to determine this water consumption is by using weighting lysimeters. Unfortunately, due to the current high costs, their use is limited to a few lysimetric stations located in research facilities, which are used to calculate the plant real consumption, and to develop mathematical models to extrapolate those data to other different crops, having in most of cases different conditions from the ones used to estimate the models, thus causing errors in those estimations. For all of this, the need to develop an affordable low-cost lysimetric station arises, to contribute to improve water management, and thus, the available water resources. This PhD. Thesis describes the design and development of a novel low-cost weighting lysimeter and a technical and economical assessment through the setup of a lysimetric station, comprising 16 lysimeters to analyze the water consumption in potted plants. It has been verified as a high accuracy, easy to set up, real time data acquisition system, including the electrovalves control, to automate the drain tank. This new agromotic system offers a wide range of possibilities to accurately measure the water consumption of any given plant. Besides, its economic sustainability has been proved by specific research, showing a positive net value with a 99% reliability, becoming into a fascinating research instrument as well as a suggested tool to improve crops productivity.[ENG] For optimal, cost-saving management of irrigation water, accurate knowledge of the overall water consumption is needed, taking into account different species and varieties of plants, weather and soil conditions. The most accurate way to determine this water consumption is by using weighting lysimeters. Unfortunately, due to the current high costs, their use is limited to a few lysimetric stations located in research facilities, which are used to calculate the plant real consumption, and to develop mathematical models to extrapolate those data to other different crops, having in most of cases different conditions from the ones used to estimate the models, thus causing errors in those estimations. For all of this, the need to develop an affordable low-cost lysimetric station arises, to contribute to improve water management, and thus, the available water resources. This PhD. Thesis describes the design and development of a novel low-cost weighting lysimeter and a technical and economical assessment through the setup of a lysimetric station, comprising 16 lysimeters to analyze the water consumption in potted plants. It has been verified as a high accuracy, easy to set up, real time data acquisition system, including the electrovalves control, to automate the drain tank. This new agromotic system offers a wide range of possibilities to accurately measure the water consumption of any given plant. Besides, its economic sustainability has been proved by specific research, showing a positive net value with a 99% reliability, becoming into a fascinating research instrument as well as a suggested tool to improve crops productivity.
Riego, Construcciones ligeras, Microelectrónica, Irrigation water
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