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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #255520
Title: Automation of irrigation systems to control irrigation applications and crop water use efficiency

Author
item Oshaughnessy, Susan
item Evett, Steven - Steve
item Colaizzi, Paul

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/31/2010
Publication Date: 10/31/2010
Citation: Oshaughnessy, S.A., Evett, S.R., Colaizzi, P.D. 2010. Automation of irrigation systems to control irrigation applications and crop water use efficiency [abstract]. In: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts, October 31-November 4, 2010, Long Beach, California. Paper No. 231-5. 2010 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agricultural irrigation management to slow water withdrawals from non-replenishing quality water resources is a global endeavor and vital to sustaining irrigated agriculture and dependent rural economies. Research in site-specific irrigation management has shown that water use efficiency, and crop productivity levels can be controlled through automation of irrigation systems. Studies have shown that thermal based algorithms, derived from remote monitoring of crop canopy temperature, and microclimatological data, have proven to be successful triggers in automatic irrigation scheduling. Crop yields from fully irrigated automated control treatments of corn, soybean, cotton, and grain sorghum were similar or exceeded those from scientific irrigation scheduling based on weekly neutron probe readings. The thermal based algorithms include the Time Temperature Threshold method [ARS patent, Biologically-Identified Optimal Temperature Interactive Console (BIOTIC)], and a crop water stress index. Robust automated irrigation scheduling for moving sprinklers was accomplished with wireless network systems that are important for commercialization. Additional benefits from irrigation automation range from improved water use efficiency to decreased management time for producers administering multiple irrigation systems.