TECH CORNER


Irrigation scheduling application to conserve water resources


By Ali Mohammed, PhD


Derek Heeren, PhD, PE


Eric Wilkening A


          the way of  


griculture today is not what it was a decade ago. We are at an interesting pace of agricultural technological innovation


and development in sensors, controls, robotics and technology, including irrigation scheduling applications. The declining quantity and quality of freshwater resources in many parts of the world, including the United States, imposes significant challenges for producers, managers, advisors and decision-makers to produce more yield with less water. It is necessary to promote sound management strategies to improve irrigation efficiency and conserve water resources. By using irrigation scheduling applications, producers can make more informed decisions that can lead to higher yields with fewer irrigation inputs.


Nebraska is one of the top states that produces maize under different irrigation methods, in third place after Iowa and Illinois. The total irrigated area in Nebraska reaches about 9.3 million acres. More than 85% of the total irrigation areas use the center pivot irrigation system, while about 15% is covered by furrow irrigation and less than 1% is managed by subsurface drip irrigation systems (see fig. 1).


1% 15% 85%


Sprinkler irrigation Furrow irrigation Subsurface drip irrigation


Figure 1. Nebraska’s irrigated percentage areas by the irrigation methods.


A new irrigation scheduling application is being developed to improve irrigation scheduling that can have a substantial impact in using limited water supplies more effectively and increase yield per unit applied of irrigation water and sustain agricultural productivity. At the request of Irriga Global, Lutry, Switzerland, a field test was initiated for the 2022 growing season on maize fields to evaluate the irrigation scheduling application in one of the


30 Irrigation TODAY | Summer 2023


University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Biological Systems Engineering research facilities at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center.


The performance and results were compared with other irrigation scheduling applications including third-party products and control irrigation scheduling. The test was established on about an 18-acre plot irrigated by a four-span center pivot system. A control panel and online interface were used to implement speed-control variable rate irrigation prescriptions to accommodate the different irrigation needs of the treatments. The field test included three irrigation treatments. First, the IrrigaNet section ran irrigation events based on the app’s recommendations. The control treatment was based on the recommendation from the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center


IRRIGATION SCHEDULING TREATMENT


100 150 200 250 300 350


50 0


Figure 2. Total applied irrigation water (mm) for each irrigation scheduling treatment.


IRRIGATION SCHEDULING TREATMENT


10 11 12 13 14 15 16


Figure 3. Maize yield production (ton/ha) for each irrigation scheduling treatment.


irrigationtoday.org


Grain yield (ton/ha)


Total irrigation (mm)


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