scholarly journals A Variable Rate Drip Irrigation Prototype for Precision Irrigation

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2493
Author(s):  
Hadi A. AL-agele ◽  
Hisham Jashami ◽  
Lloyd Nackley ◽  
Chad Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
Water Drops ◽  
Pressure Compensation ◽  
Precision Irrigation ◽  
System Operating ◽  
Control Water

A new Variable Rate Drip Irrigation (VRDI) emitter that monitors individual water drops was designed, built, and tested. This new emitter controllers water application directly by monitoring the volume applied in contrast to uniform drip irrigation systems that control water application indirectly by pressure compensation and operational times. Prior approaches assumed irrigation volumes based on flow rates and time and typically did not verify the applied amount of water applied at each water outlet. The new VRDI emitter self-monitors the total volume of water applied and halts the flow once the desired total water application has been achieved. This study performed a test for a new VRDI emitter design with two inner diameters of 0.11 cm and 0.12 cm and two outer diameters 0.3 cm and 0.35 cm compared to a commercial drip emitter. Laboratory tests verify that the integrated volume measurements of the VRDI system are independent of pressure. Conversely, the flow rates of the commercial pressure-compensated drip lines were not independent of pressure. These results demonstrate that this form of VRDI is technically feasible and is shown to be energy efficient, requiring lower system operating pressures than pressure-compensated lines. The VRDI system can reduce water consumption and related water costs.

Use of geographic information systems and remote sensing as automated tool for variable rate irrigation prescriptions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anh Thi Tuan Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Center Pivot

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Economic as well as water shortage pressure on agricultural use of water has placed added emphasis on efficient irrigation management. Center pivot technology has made great improvement with variable rate irrigation (VRI) technology to vary water application spatially and temporally to maximize the economic and environmental return. Proper management of VRI systems depends on correctly matching the pivot application to specific field temporal and areal conditions. There is need for a tool to accurately and inexpensively define dynamic management zones, to sense within-field variability in real time, and control variable rate water application so that producers are more willing to adopt and utilize the advantages of VRI systems. This study included tests of the center pivot system uniformity performance in 2014 at Delta Research Center in Portageville, MO. The goal of this research was to develop MOPivot software with an algorithm to determine unique management areas under center pivot systems based on system design and limitations. The MOPivot tool automates prescriptions for VRI center pivot based on non-uniform water needs while avoiding potential runoff and deep percolation. The software was validated for use in real-time irrigation management in 2018 for VRI control system of a Valley 8000 center pivot planted to corn. The water balance model was used to manage irrigation scheduling. Field data, together with soil moisture sensor measurement of soil water content, were used to develop the regression model of remote sensing-based crop coefficient (Kc). Remote sensing vegetation index in conjunction with GDD and crop growth stages in regression models showed high correlation with Kc. Validation of those regression models was done using Centralia, MO, field data in 2016. The MOPivot successfully created prescriptions to match system capacity of the management zone based on system limitations for center pivot management. Along with GIS data sources, MOPivot effectively provides readily available graphical prescription maps, which can be edited and directly uploaded to a center pivot control panel. The modeled Kc compared well with FAO Kc. By combining GDD and crop growth in the models, these models would account for local weather conditions and stage of crop during growing season as time index in estimating Kc. These models with Fraction of growth (FrG) and cumulative growing degree days (cGDD) had a higher coefficient of efficiency, higher Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency and higher Willmott index of agreement. Future work should include improvement in the MOPivot software with different crops and aerial remote sensing imagery to generate dynamic prescriptions during the season to support irrigation scheduling for real-time monitoring of field conditions.

scholarly journals Water saving and yield increase of sugar beet with subsurface drip irrigation

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Subsurface Drip Irrigation ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Crop Performance ◽  
Subsurface Drip ◽  
Sugar Beet Crop

This study was conducted to evaluate the surface and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) application effects on sugar beet crop performance, under two levels (100% and 80%) of water application depth. The experimental design was a split plot with four replications. Laterals were set every second crop row (1 m apart), with emitters spaced 1 m apart. In the case of SDI, laterals were buried 0.45 m under the ground. Soil moisture measurements were taken up to 75 cm depth, using the TDR method. The soil water content and the yield characteristics of each treatment were recorded. Irrigation method showed to affect crop performance significantly while water application level was less critical. The experimental results indicated that the subsurface drip irrigation leaded to a greater yield and higher sugar content making significant water saving compared to surface drip irrigation.

scholarly journals LAYOUT AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS OF FILTERING WATER INTAKES FROM SHALLOW WATERCOURSES FOR DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Shtanko ◽  
◽  
V. N. Shkura ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Intake ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Mountain Streams ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Hydrographic Features ◽  
Sand And Gravel

Purpose: development of layout and design schemes for low-flow water intakes, arranged on shallow river and stream watercourses for supplying water to drip irrigation systems. Agricultural development of terraces and floodplains of small foothill and mountain streams actualizes the development of facilities for water intake from them for the purpose of irrigating land. Morphological and hydrographic features, including shallow low-water depths, high flow rates, flow rates variability, saturation with sediments, the presence of underflow and overflow runoff, etc., make water intake from such watercourses difficult and specific. These circumstances predetermine the relevance of water intake structures development corresponding to the specified conditions. Materials and Methods. When developing the layout and design schemes of low-flow water intakes from shallow watercourses, the technologies of exploratory design of engineering systems and structures were used. Results. With regard to the morphometric, hydrological and other conditions of shallow foothill and mountain streams, a water intake with a bottom water intake was adopted for development. The water intake part of headworks is designed in the form of a toe drain, which has under-flow and overflow intake parts that allow water intake from the channel and off-channel water streams. The toe is made of two or three layers of sand and gravel material. Drainage pipes or pipe filters are used as a drainage element. Depending on the conditions of the watercourse, water intakes with transverse, longitudinal and pocket-coastal placement of water intakes are proposed. Conclusion. The layout and design schemes of filtering water intakes from shallow watercourses based on the use of overflow, underflow and combined structures of multilayer drainage water intakes with stream (transverse and longitudinal) and off-channel (pocket-coastal) placement have been proposed and developed.

Productivity and water relations of field-grown cashew: a comparison of sprinkler and drip irrigation

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 663 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Blaikie ◽  
E. K. Chacko ◽  
P. Lu ◽  
W. J. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Stomatal Closure ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Evaporative Demand ◽  
Tropical Regions

Cashew is an emerging crop in the seasonally ‘wet–dry’ tropical regions of northern Australia. In North Queensland flowering and fruiting of cashew coincides with the dry season (May–November). During this period growers sprinkler irrigate at 500 L/tree.week. A 3-year (1996–98) experiment compared this strategy with alternatives, including no irrigation or drip irrigation in which 115 or 230 L/tree.week was applied by drippers placed near the tree trunk and near the canopy drip line throughout the dry season. Measurements of soil water to 1.3 m, leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, tree sap flow and yield were made. Data collected in the first 2 years showed that the water requirement of the trees increased progressively as the crop load and evaporative demand increased during the dry season. During the final year of the study, additional sprinkler and drip treatments, in which water applications were progressively increased during the dry season, were introduced. The productivity of cashew in this experiment was strongly influenced by irrigation treatments, ranging (over all years) from 42 to 160 g nut/m 2 canopy surface area. Depletion of plant-available water in the root zone was associated with a reduction in photosynthesis mediated by partial stomatal closure. These effects of soil drying were evident in all irrigated treatments during the mid and late stages of the dry season but were more severe in treatments receiving the least water. When irrigation was withheld until the mid-stage of the dry season the trees had similar yields to those that were irrigated throughout, emphasising the importance of providing adequate irrigation between nut set and harvest. When rainfall from January to September in each year of the study was taken into account, there was a strong linear relationship between nut yield and water applied (rainfall + irrigation), with each extra kilolitre of water applied resulting in about 6 extra g nut/m 2 canopy surface area. This linear relationship was based on water application in the range 25–50 kL per season. It is possible that if the seasonal water application had exceeded 50 kL the marginal response to extra water may have diminished. Using drippers was slightly more efficient than sprinklers, with drip-irrigated trees requiring about 5% less water applied to achieve a given nut yield. In years when rainfall is average, and subject to other economic factors, growers in North Queensland should aim to irrigate about 500 L/tree.week. In years of low rainfall between January and September it is likely that yield will be improved by applying more irrigation water; high rainfall during these months of the year may reduce the irrigation requirement. In all cases growers should be careful to accurately monitor water applications, particularly when the total (from rainfall + irrigation) exceeds 40 kL/tree for the season.

Environmental Benefits and Concerns of Center-Pivot Irrigation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Rodriguez Sinobas
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Surface Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Center Pivot ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Precision Irrigation ◽  
Control Water

Center-pivot irrigation systems started in the United States in the mid-20th century as an irrigation method which surpassed the traditional surface irrigation methods. At that time, they had the potential to bring about higher irrigation efficiencies with less water consumption although their requirements in energy were higher too. Among their benefits, it is highlighted the feasibility to control water management as well as the application of agro-chemicals dissolved in the irrigation water and thus, center-pivot irrigation systems have spread worldwide. Nevertheless, since the last decade of the 20th century, they are facing actual concerns regarding ecosystem sustainability and water and energy efficiencies. Likewise, the 21st century has brought about the cutting edge issue “precision irrigation” which has made feasible the application of water, fertilizers, and chemicals as the plant demands taking into account variables such as: sprinkler´s pressure, terrain topography, soil variability, and climatic conditions. Likewise, it could be adopted to deal with the current key issues regarding the sustainability and efficiency of the center-pivot irrigation to maintain the agro-ecosystems but still, other issues such as the organic matter incorporation are far to be understood and they will need further studies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document