PRECISION IRRIGATION EMBRACING TECH OPTIONS
Sensor technologies such as moisture probes, aerial imagery and digital flow meters have provided aides to growers and irrigators, but there are many proven technologies that growers may not be aware of that originate from other sectors of agriculture that can be useful in today’s conventional growing practices.
In a controlled environment, agricultural precision irrigation is not only a standard practice but incorporated into every other aspect of operations. In fully controlled systems, irrigation scheduling is programmed and adjusted with the use of several different types of sensors, from moisture and light intensity to media weight. These systems can determine when to irrigate based on transpiration calculations that incorporate substrate media weight and drain quantities, and they can even filter out external conditions such as harvest or other plant handling.
These platforms have decades of experience in automation and control
There are many proven technologies that growers may not be aware of that originate from other sectors of agriculture that can be useful in today’s conventional growing practices.
specifically in respect to plant growth and agriculture. Irrigation and fertigation controls are on the same platform as the environmental controls, energy management systems and even labor tracking. These control systems not only provide a centralized platform and management system but also collect all the appropriate data. With the ability to track fertilizer and water use with climate to the exact harvest is priceless.
With increasing labor pressure, water restrictions and other regulations, growers are embracing technology in irrigation more and more. The use of the established, controlled-environment technologies in traditional agriculture has become a solution that more growers are willing to look at. Some of the initial incorporations were slow and
had a steep learning curve but have since become much more user-friendly. Examples include simple valve and pump control, down to full fertigation and integrated autonomous growing. We have incorporated these technologies on everything from permanent crops to open field hydroponic fresh berries.
These solutions have also welcomed other technologies onto their platforms, and the integrations between traditional agriculture irrigation solutions and controlled-environment agriculture solutions is ever-changing. The use of these technologies expands beyond irrigation and fertigation and has opened the door to other solutions that would be otherwise overlooked in traditional agriculture. Reverse osmosis water systems, ultraviolet light treatment
This is an automated injection system used on greenhouse and indoor applications that is now being incorporated into precision irrigation of open-field conventional farming.
irrigationtoday.org
Hydraulic injection system that requires no power
Fall 2020 | Irrigation TODAY 15
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