Did you know a whole crop can be irrigated using a cell phone app? July is Smart Irrigation Month and TWRI has many resources about modern irrigation practices for producers in our magazine, txH2O.
The article, 21st Century Irrigation, discusses different technologies being researched and used by today’s producers to irrigate crops. Across the Ogallala Aquifer region, new water management tools are helping producers irrigate more efficiently, conserving millions of gallons of water.
At the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock, research scientists developed the Dashboard for Irrigation Efficiency Management (DIEM), a software tool that helps producers schedule field-specific irrigation. Similarly, researchers in Kansas have developed an irrigation scheduling program known as KanSched, which uses evapotranspiration data to determine the ideal watering time for crops. In Colorado, the award winning application Water Irrigation Scheduler for Efficient Application (WISE) assists producers with improving irrigation water management, reducing total irrigation by 27 percent.
For best results, experts recommend integrating soil water sensors with water management technology along with common sense. Read the full article about these cutting-edge technologies developed to increase crop production and help producers conserve water.
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