Sometimes you stumble on some old work and say, wow did I write that? Below are some thoughts on the benefits of good irrigation scheduling.
Perhaps
the most misunderstood, over looked, and under utilized practice in crop
production systems today is proper irrigation scheduling; it encompasses the
most critical input, water. Water is the catalyst for many phyto-chemical
reactions within the plant that are necessary for the plant to obtain optimal
health. Below is the rational and
legitimacy of irrigation scheduling.
GOAL:
Irrigation
scheduling should be utilized as a mechanism to respect the water consumption
needs of plants through their various growth and developmental stages in order
to attain high yields while maintaining soil quality and conservation of water.
OBJECTIVES:
1.
Target soil moisture depletion percentages should be utilized by to
schedule the irrigation of fields.
2.
The “feel” method and other technologies should be used to properly
monitor soil depletion levels.
3.
The calculation of moisture loss should be equated by utilizing
evapo-transpiration in accordance with the modified penman equation and crop
coefficients.
4.
Improve uniformity of irrigation applications by calculating flow rates and
application efficiencies of the irrigation system being utilized.
5.
Influences such as moisture holding capacity, knowledge of the plant
root depth, soil texture, salinity, and organic matter should be considered
when determining plant available water.
6.
Improve soil absorption and pecolation efficiencies in order to properly
leach accumulated salts through, and past, the root-zone profile by properly
quantifying the target moisture level in the root profile and the amount of
water to be applied.
7.
Critical growth stages should be considered and irrigation should be
utilized to improve crop quality.
8.
Mitigation of ground water pollution from fertilizers by increasing
plant root depth and allowing proper moisture transport through the soil profile
and optimizing nutrient management.
Proper
irrigation scheduling is vital in order to optimize plant and soil
interactions. Water plays important
roles in many facets of not only plant health, but also in soil fertility. That being the case, quantifying the amount
of water and the time between irrigations has a direct affect in the quality of
a crop.
