The Fuss about Irrigation Scheduling and Valve Automation



Irrigation Scheduling has several advantages. Apart from the obvious decrease in water usage farmers find the following to be true:
  • Minimizes crop water #stress and maximize yield.
  • Reduces farmer's cost of #water through fewer irrigations, and maximizes use of soil #moisture storage. Happy soil = happy crops.
  • Reduces #fertilizer costs by reducing #runoff and #leaching.
  • Increase net return by improving crop yield and quality.
  • Minimize #water-logging problems by reducing #drainage requirements.
  • Helps control #root zone #salinity through controlled leaching.
  • Helps farmers stay within their water quota and save water.
  • Helps to maintain soil quality. Less leaching and runoff means less nutrients being washed away. Less water-logging means more air in the soil. All of these factors contribute to higher production and better quality crops.

Adding #valve #actuation / #automation to irrigation scheduling will further enhance the benefits as #probe data can determine the length of irrigation required and shut of valves in real-time.
The importance of irrigation scheduling is that it enables the farmer to apply the exact amount of water. This increases irrigation efficiency. A critical element is accurate measurement of the volume of water applied or the depth of application. A farmer cannot manage water to maximum efficiency without knowing how much was applied. This is where valve automation becomes critical. As the units are linked on the same software platform real-time, current data can determine the irrigation requirements, thus maximizing the usage of available water.
E-Irrigation Blog

Location: South Africa

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