SYSTEM INTEGRATION & AUTOMATION
(L to R) Research Technician Juan Vega and CIT Head Lab Technician Jorge Moreno install automation components at the Fresno State Farm. Photo: Geoff Thurner
For example, booster pump controls can be acquired and managed separately from well pump controls, as can the controls for the fertigation system or the block level valving system. A fully automated and integrated irrigation system would enable the operator to run the entire system from a single platform. Unfortunately, this single platform benefit may not be available because the automated component of the system was acquired or designed separately, resulting in a mix of system components that don’t talk to each other. This situation results in the grower needing to use separate platforms (apps) to operate different parts of the overall system. In addition to the added time, expense and inconvenience, using multiple platforms can also lead to
10 Irrigation TODAY | Winter 2022
mistakes caused by context switching and insufficient attention.
Automated vs. autonomous It is also helpful to make a distinction between automated and autonomous. With an automated system, the human operator is making all the decisions. An autonomous system is one where the system itself decides when to turn on/ off and how much water to apply. With full autonomy, the human operator is
partially separated from the decision- making process but still “in the loop” via monitoring and feedback from the system. Autonomous irrigation control is an active area of research.
So, given these definitions, what can actually be automated? Simply put, everything. The most obvious and most common candidate is pump controls. Nearly every vendor of pumping systems offers some type of remote control option.
Curious what an autonomous system might be like?
Take a look at the work being done by Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Amarillo at
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2019/01/31/integrating-center- pivot-irrigation-control-technologies-goal-of-texas-am-study/.
irrigationtoday.org
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