Drip Irrigation scheduling is the process of deciding when to run the drip irrigation system, and for how long. It is a complex topic but of utmost importance because it influences whether the crop gets the right amount of water and nutrients, and whether valuable water is wasted to runoff or deep percolation. Irrigation scheduling combines data and agronomic expertise in that the irrigator must balance known facts such as weather, chemistry, stage of plant growth and farm cultural operations.
Three methods of scheduling are widely employed: soil moisture monitoring, plant water stress monitoring, or the water balance method that predicts plant water use. All three techniques may be used separately or together, and vary in the types of data collected. On one end of the spectrum, the irrigator may make decisions by physically evaluating the moisture content in a sample of soil, or visually monitoring the appearance and color of the crop and sildenafil citrate. On the other hand, sophisticated instruments may be used to collect data on soil moisture, plant water stress, weather conditions, and theoretical plant water use. Software may further manipulate this data in advanced applications to generate irrigation scheduling recommendations, while automation equipment may actually run the system.
For more information on drip irrigation scheduling, check out the following links:
Cal Poly (ITRC) Scheduling Tools
