Author
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Albano, Joseph |
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Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2008 Publication Date: 7/1/2008 Citation: Albano, J.P. 2008. Irrigation in a future of limited water supplies: Making every drop count. A Workshop Sponsored by the Water Utilization and Management Working Group of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. HortScience. 43(4):1069. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The production of horticultural crops, regardless of commodity, requires at the most basic level, light and water. While the sun will rise tomorrow, the prospects for rain are less certain. The occurrence of droughts and the increasing demands on water resources from municipal entities, presents both challenges and opportunities for horticultural enterprises in a future of limited supplies of irrigation water. The challenge that horticulture faces is efficiently using every drop of water, and to meet this challenge, new tools and technologies to assist growers on when and how to irrigate, are required. The opportunity for horticulture is a relatively “untapped” supply of irrigation water in the form of treated municipal wastewater. Meeting these challenges and exploring new opportunities in horticultural irrigation will promote both water conservation and environmental stewardship; ensuring sustainable irrigation into the future. Speakers in the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, Water Utilization and Management working group's 2008 workshop will discuss and demonstrate new software and hardware technologies for use in irrigation scheduling to maximize both crop production and water conservation, and discuss the process for reclaiming and using municipal wastewater for horticultural crop production. |
