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Proper Soil Aeration

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E-Irrigation Blog Proper soil aeration can make all the difference between a quality harvest and an ordinary harvest. Irrigation scheduling assists with soil aeration through the prevention of over-irrigation. "Minimizing drainage below the root-zone increases irrigation efficiency and reduces waterlogging and soil aeration problems." (Daniel Hillel,  Advances in Irrigation, Voloume 1 .)  Compaction and water saturation of soils are the main barriers to soil oxygen transport, water being a more effective barrier (Papendick and Runkles, 1965; Moldrup et al., 2000a; Neale et al., 2000). The diffusion of gases in water is slower than their diffusion in air by a factor of 10⁴ (Call, 1957; Moldrup et al., 2000a; 2004; Thorbjorn et al., 2008). Suzanne DeJohn (2017) summarizes this problem adequately " Soil that’s too wet can also cause wilting, as excess water pushes air out of the soil and suffocates the roots."  Plants need oxygen to absorb water and
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Symbiosis of farming and Irrigation Scheduling

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E-Irrigation Blog Farmer's Weekly posed in interesting question with one of their September, 2017 articles. Essentially they asked "How many harvests are left in your soil?" Maria-Helena Semendo, speaking at World Soil Day (2016) stated that the world's topsoil could be gone within 60 years should the current degradation continue. Some of the main causes of soil degradation include chemical-heavy farming methods, deforestation, erosion and global warming.  Professor Raj Patel points to runoff water from farms often contaminated with high volumes of fertilizer and other chemicals as being a culprit.  “The story of industrial agriculture is all about externalizing costs and exploiting nature,” Patel states.  South African farmers are already taking the lead by becoming more ecologically accountable, by incorporating green farming practices and turning to sustainable farming methods and water conservation. One of the methods South Africans employ are irrigati
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The Science of Irrigation Scheduling

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E-Irrigation Blog The Journal of Experimental Botany describes irrigation scheduling as " conventionally aimed to achieve an optimum water supply for productivity, with soil water content being maintained close to field capacity. In many ways irrigation scheduling can be regarded as a mature research field which has moved from innovative science into the realms of use, or at most the refinement, of existing practical applications. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a wide range of proposed novel approaches to irrigation scheduling which have not yet been widely adopted; many of these are based on sensing the plant response to water deficits rather than sensing the soil moisture status directly ( Jones, 1990 a )." "Irrigation scheduling is conventionally based either on ‘soil water measurement’, where the soil moisture status (whether in terms of water content or water potential) is measured directly to determine the need for irrigation, or on ‘soil wa
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The Fuss about Irrigation Scheduling and Valve Automation

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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  #
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Location: South Africa
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AGFO Expo 2017

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The AGFO Expo came to a close Saturday, 16 September. The E-Irrigation team had a ton of fun and met a treasured new friend and reseller, David Guthrie. From here E-Irrigation will head to Western Cape. We haven't forgotten about our "Plaas Besoek" event and look forward to meet the farmers of Olifantsriver Valley who invited us. Enjoy the photos from the expo! E-Irrigation Blog
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Wireless System

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The wireless system allows the farmer to effectively use the irrigation scheduling program on a large scale. The AVC integrates seamlessly with this system giving the user a unique platform where irrigation scheduling and automation is married. Technical specifications of the Router Gateway: - One router supports up to 20 probes and up to 50 AVC units -Converts 6LowPAN communication to GSM -Supports up to 20 mesh devices -Over the air firmware updates support -Solar / battery powered -SMS features The Router Gateway is responsible to communicate probe data to the software program, however it is the nodes that communicates probe data to the router. The wireless mesh network allows the nodes to search for the shortest path to the router, ensuring effortless communication. ​Technical specifications of the nodes: -Connection up to 700m distance with a clear line of sight -SDI 12 compatible -6LowPAN network communication -Battery / Solar powered -Onboard temperature senso
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