Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Irrigation and mineral composition of vegetables

Maggio, A. et al.

2013

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Summary

This paper, published in Agricultural Water Management, investigates the relationship between irrigation practices and the mineral composition of vegetables, a topic of relevance to both agronomic management and food quality. The study likely demonstrates that irrigation regime — including volume, timing, and water quality — can materially influence the accumulation of key minerals in vegetable crops. Findings of this kind contribute to understanding how on-farm water management decisions affect not only productivity but also the nutritional profile of harvested produce.

UK applicability

The study was most likely conducted under Mediterranean conditions, where water stress and irrigation strategies differ considerably from typical UK growing environments; however, the underlying principles regarding irrigation effects on mineral uptake are broadly applicable to UK protected and field-grown horticulture, particularly given increasing summer drought pressure under climate change.

Key measures

Mineral element concentrations in vegetable tissue (mg/kg fresh or dry weight); irrigation water volume applied; possibly yield (t/ha) and water use efficiency

Outcomes reported

The study examined how different irrigation regimes affect the mineral content of vegetable crops, likely including macro- and micronutrient concentrations in edible tissue. It probably assessed trade-offs between water application rates, yield, and nutritional quality.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Fruit & vegetables
Study type
Research
Study design
Field trial
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Italy
System type
Horticulture
Catalogue ID
XL0352

Topic tags

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