SYSTEM INTEGRATION & AUTOMATION
This system with an automated pumping plant at an almond orchard in California includes automated fertigation, gypsum injection, filter
flushing and reservoir controls. Photo: Charles Hillyer
A
By Charles Hillyer, PhD
fully automated irrigation system has the potential to both reduce labor costs and improve irrigation efficiency. However, automation of drip irrigation systems is one of those technology options that has been around for awhile in theory but hasn’t seen widespread adoption.
There are several reasons for this limited adoption, but one important obstacle has been that the automation solution consisted of a collection of separate technologies, and the grower was responsible for making them all work together. This leads to a deeper discussion about what “fully automated” means and why system integration is so essential.
The word “automation” is used with different meanings depending on the context. The two most salient features of an automated system are remote control and system integration. Remote control is probably the most common and most immediately useful feature of an automated system. This is the feature that lets you turn on and off components
irrigationtoday.org
of the system from the comfort of your living room, fishing boat or while on vacation. Remote control is such an essential part of automation that the terms are generally synonymous. A more robust view of a fully automated system is one where the operator tells the irrigation control system to apply a certain depth of water at a specific time, and the control system handles the details of starting pumps, opening valves and shutting down at an appropriate time. However, implementing this level of automation requires the second salient feature.
System integration is an often overlooked aspect of irrigation automation. There are robust theories of what system integration is and how it should work,1 but on a practical level, the definition is simple. Having a fully integrated irrigation system means all the various parts and pieces speak the same language, can “talk” to each other and have something useful to say. This benefit is often overlooked because the remote control feature can (and often is) applied separately to individual components of an irrigation system.
Winter 2022 | Irrigation TODAY 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
