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Precision Irrigation. Presented by Xiaoxue Li. Precision irrigation. Definition Also called site-specific irrigation A tool of precision farming that involves the delivery of irrigation water in optimum amount over an entire field
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Precision Irrigation Presented by Xiaoxue Li
Precision irrigation • Definition • Also called site-specific irrigation • A tool of precision farming that involves the delivery of irrigation water in optimum amount over an entire field • New generation of innovative systems to monitor and control soil moisture deficiency and irrigation
Why PI? • Internal reasons • Very few fields are uniform, the need for irrigation may differ between different zones of a particular field • Most currently used irrigation systems apply water at constant rates, therefore some areas of a field may receive too much water and other areas of a field may not receive enough water
Why PI • Driving forces • Excessive water application could contribute to surface water runoff or leaching of nutrients and chemicals to groundwater • Precision irrigation systems would have the ability to apply water directly where it is needed, therefore saving water and preventing excessive water runoff and leaching
Systems having potential for PI • Center pivot and and the similar linear-move system have higher potential • Provide an outstanding platform on which to mount sensors for real time monitoring of plant and soil conditions • Interact with a control system for optimal environmental benefits
Systems having potential for PI • Drip irrigation system also offers precision irrigation technology • However, drip irrigation represents only a small share of total irrigation • High costs limit this kind of equipment to mainly higher-value crops like fruits and vegetables
Precision irrigation scheduling • Irrigation scheduling is the heart of precision irrigation, which simply knows where, when to irrigate and how much irrigation water to apply • An effective irrigation schedule helps to maximize profit while minimizing water and energy use
Where and when to irrigate • Three ways • Measuring Soil-Water • Checkbook Method • Remote sensing
Where and when to irrigation • Measuring soil water • Quantitative methods • Neutron Scatter • Di-electric Constant Methods • Gravimetric Soil Sampling • Qualitative methods • Tensiometers • Porous Blocks
Where and when to irrigation • Checkbook method • The check-book method is an accounting approach for estimating how much soil-water remains in the effective root zone based on water inputs and outputs (like a daily balance on a bank account based on deposits and withdrawals) • Irrigation is scheduled when the soil-water content in the effective root zone is near the allowable depletion volume, otherwise irrigation should be delayed.
Where and when to irrigation • Remote sensing • Satellite image and air photo • Infrared thermometry is a more recently developed technique to determine irrigation timing based on plant canopy temperature rather than soil moisture
How much to irrigate • Enough irrigation water should be applied to replace the depleted plant available water(PAW) within the root zone and to allow for irrigation inefficiencies
PI application example • Location:Richland, Washingon • Farmer: Thayne Wiser • Farm area: 2000 acres • Research area:120 acres • Irrigation Systems: self-propelled center-pivot irrigation systems
PI application example • Research team • Washington State University • USDA-ARS • A sprinkler manufacturer • Objectives • Characterize soil water spatial variations • Develop water-application prescriptions to meet the often-conflicting needs for discrete areas in the field • Engineer a variable-rate sprinkler system to deliver water in precise amounts based on prescriptions
Procedures: Mapping topography Use 8-channel,L1,C/A-code DGPS to gather point data Input point data toGIS software to generate topography map PI application example
PI application example • Scouting the Soil • Gather georeferenced soil samples on 200-foot grids • Analyze soil texture, physical and chemical properties • Create soil maps showing each soil parameter as a separate GIS layer
PI application example • Prescription Preparation • Determine management zones • 20 per field with the smallest area about one acre • 100 management zones in 120 acres • Access GIS data layers using computer models, integrate climatic data, irrigation system characterization data, and irrigation scheduling procedures based on current soil-moisture levels
PI application example • Make decision about water needs of specific zones to create management map(or prescription) • Use prescription to program the sprinkler heads to deliver either more or less water in each management zone.
PI application example • Water monitor • Place 6 passive capillary (PCAP) soil-solute samplers in research circle at a depth of 3.5 feet to monitor soil water • Use Frequency domain reflectrometry (FDR) probes installed above PCAPs to assess soil moisture in real time • Place neutron-scattering access tubes, ceramic vacuum-extractor cups, and tipping-bucket rain gauges adjacent to each PCAP to verify soil moisture measurement
PI application example • Determine actual water use in each management zone and judge the effectiveness of the precision irrigation applications • Install an automated agricultural weather station to collect climatic data every 15 minutes • Connect all the monitoring devices to the dataloggers
PI application example • Water delivery system • Divided the length of the test pivot into 30 zones,having two to four sprinkler heads apiece. Each zone had its own programmable controller • Cycled the sprinklers on and off at selected intervals over a period of time to achieve the prescribed irrigation amount in a management zone
Precision irrigation application example I • Master Control systems • Master computer collects pivot location and controller status information • The system communicates changes in application rates for each of the 30 controllers according to the controller's location on the prescription map • The control system allows the irrigator to change, at the base computer, the prescription or decision criteria for any management zone at any time during the irrigation.
PI application example I Master control system Controllers Master computer Pivot location and controller status data GIS base map Irrigation models Real time prescription Maps and other software Prescription instructions