2024 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 35-40
Hydroponics can be integrated into Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), in combination with greenhouses. They can successfully optimize the use of fertilizers and water for arid zones. Elevated costs of this type of agriculture lead farmers to implement semiautomated systems and use recyclable materials to stabilize plant productivity. This paper discusses the different growth ratios of tomato plants estimated with logistic curves when tap water with fertilizer (T1), Oxidixed Water-OW [reclaimed water] (T2), and Disinfected Tertiary Recycled Water- DTRW [renewable water] (T3) are used; additionally, a new module is presented to avoid underestimation of plant height when fertilization is carried out at the flowering stage. This model was adapted only for treatment 1. Logistic curves were created with low RMSE values using the least-square method. Despite presenting better mass volume and fruit quantity in OW [reclaimed water] treatment at the final stage of the plant, a t-test revealed that there is not a significant difference among treatments of OW and DTRW [renewable and reclaimed water] for the height of plants. The adjustment of a logistic equation with the inclusion of a linear module allowed to decrease in the RMSE from 73 to 21 mm.
