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But water is increasingly in short supply
(.. yet mismanaged )
Few However, few growers use scientific irrigation scheduling methods, however.. Among the reasons that growers give for not adopting precision irrigation practices are:
- Lacking information that helps them make a good business decision
- Lack of integration of the various parts of an irrigation system
- Lack of actionable data at the time when irrigation plans to be made and/or changed
Precision irrigation has can increase both water and energy efficiencies by optimally matching the water requirements for a given crop within a specific area of a field, thereby either reducing costs or increasing yield for the same inputs of water and energy. Ideally, an integrated precision irrigation solution is built on the premise that growers and irrigators can:
- Based on historical, current, and predictive field conditions, determine the timing, amount, and spatial pattern of water application on a field
- Control the application of exactly what is required (how much, when and where it is applied)
- Capture a record of the amount and spatial pattern of what was actually applied, and when and where it was applied
- Understand the soil and crop responses in order to plan the next irrigation application
(NEEA starts stuff)
NEAA brought together an important cross-section of the industry to discuss optimization of water / energy.
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