Application of variable rate irrigation technology for water efficiency and conservation

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The efficiency of center pivot irrigation systems is highly dependent on the ability to uniformly apply water supply to meet crop demands. While limited water supplies may reduce crop yield due to water stress, excessive irrigation may result in wasted water, environmental degradation, and reduced yields. Soil and field variability have a very significant influence on crop water availability, and crop yield. There is a need to better match water applications to soil chemical and physical properties, in order to conserve water and increase crop productivity. With advanced irrigation technologies, such as variable rate irrigation (VRI) and soil mapping systems, it is possible to vary water application rates to match soil characteristics. Advanced soil mapping equipment can be used to develop high-density maps of soil water storage potential, taking soil and field variability into account. Wireless sensor networks can indicate the amount of water within the soil profile at given locations in real time. This proposal seeks to integrate all these technologies and develop a methodology to achieve maximum possible economic returns due to the optimized water use of water. Ultimately, irrigators will be able to make informed decisions about the application of VRI technology to increase water use efficiency and crop productivity. Government agencies will be able to capitalize on these technologies to optimize irrigation water allocation in response to changes in climatic conditions, and minimize the overall environmental footprint caused by irrigated crop production. Private companies can make use of the results to provide advice on the best technologies and algorithms for delineating site specific management zones.