As irrigated cotton acres continue to increase in the Southeast, growers are looking for the most efficient method of watering their crop, and they want to know how the cost of drip irrigation compares to the tried-and-true center pivot system.
Drip Irrigation on Cotton in the Southeast Read More »
Cutbacks on water delivery from the federal Central Valley Project has left farmers, like Ted Sheeley, looking for ways to cut their water use. Sheeley, who farms in the Huron area, western Kings County, and eastern Fresno County, has traditionally used flood and sprinkler irrigation, but with the water cutbacks, it is difficult to fulfill his processing tomato and cotton contracts. Sheeley has begun converting his flood and sprinkler irrigated fields to drip irrigation to optimize his water use and plans to be completely converted within 3 to 4 years.
Central Valley Farmers Cope with Water Supply Cut, Convert to Drip Irrigation Read More »
Check out this drip irrigation installation video by Dubois Agrinovation that shows how drip tape is installed using Aqua-Traxx® drip tape and installation machinery. Click here to watch more videos by Dubois Agrinovation on their YouTube channel.
Drip Irrigation Installation Video Read More »
Charged with the issue of seawater intrusion, the Salinas Valley in California has done several things to all but eliminate the issue. First, two reservoirs were constructed to recharge the underground aquifer. Then, a wastewater treatment plant was built to enable the use of recycled water for irrigation. And recently, a rubber dam was installed to divert surface water for irrigation. Along with these attempts to improve the region’s water supply, Salinas Valley farmers have turned to drip irrigation and conservation to help solve their water issues.
In a recent article in AgAlert, reporter Bob Johnson interviewed Salinas Valley farmers to see how they have reduced seawater intrusion. Turns out that the region’s conversion to drip irrigation and focus on conservation has a lot to do with it. Bob writes, “Twenty years ago, less than 3 percent of Salinas Valley vegetable acreage was under drip irrigation…(but) the water agency’s most recent survey shows that by 2012, drip irrigation was being used on nearly 60 percent of the vegetable acreage.” Bob goes on to write that between drip irrigation, water supply projects, and other conservation techniques, such as soil moisture sensors and flow meters, the Salinas Valley has even allowed the underground water table to rise.
Salinas Valley Farmers Solve Water Issues with Drip Irrigation and Conservation Read More »
In the wake of the drought, the Midwest is seeing a shift from pivot and furrow irrigation to drip irrigation on some acres. In a recent and great article by Corn&Soybean Digest, reporter Larry Stalcup wrote about making the switch to drip irrigation. Larry interviewed Don Anthony, a Lexington, Nebraska, grower to learn about his experiences with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), as well as Freddie Lam, an agricultural engineer and irrigation researcher at Kansas State University.
According to Freddie Lam of Kansas State University, more than 300,000 acres are now drip irrigated in the Great Plains, much of which is cotton. But many growers in the western Corn Belt and southern High Plains are also making the shift to drip irrigation for other crops such as corn and soybeans.
A Shift to Drip Irrigation Read More »
This week, Toro announced a new emitter flow rate for its popular BlueLine® PC dripline, the 0.26 GPH pressure-compensating (PC) emitter. This new 0.26 GPH pressure-compensating emitter is the latest addition to Toro’s other BlueLine PC flow rates (0.42, 0.53, and 1.00 GPH).
Toro’s BlueLine dripline is a tremendous advancement in dripline irrigation technology. Its pressure-compensating emitters provide greater resistance to plugging and superior flow accuracy, while the hose is incredibly durable. Traditionally used on permanent crops, BlueLine PC dripline can be installed above ground, below ground, or hanging on a wire.
Toro Releases New BlueLine® PC Dripline Emitter Flow Rate Read More »
Increasing water costs and water scarcity are becoming critical issues that are affecting the bottom lines for growers’ businesses. Whether these issues are the result of droughts, environmental concerns, or water regulations, the fact is that growers need to improve their water management techniques.
In a recent online article in Growing Produce, Michael Cahn highlights how growers in California are utilizing drip irrigation to improve their water management and crop quality. In one paragraph, Cahn writes, “In the Central Valley where surface water allocations can be limited during drought years, drip has allowed growers to farm more acres with less water. Besides saving water, drip provides more management options for growers. Under drip, tractor operations are less likely to be hampered by saturated furrows and application uniformity under drip is not affected by wind, which is common in the afternoon along the coast. Additionally, drip can reduce foliar disease pressure in crops by keeping leaves dry.”
Good Water Management: A Wise Business Decision Read More »
Choosing the right drip tape emitter spacing can be more of an art than a science. This is because of the many variables that exist in each farming application, including tape placement, soil type, crop, plant population, soil and water salinity, tape quality and cost, etc. Fortunately, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s recent Drip and Micro Irrigation Design and Management Manual, published by the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) in 2007, provides a great deal of guidance for this important decision. In particular, the new manual discusses how closely spaced drip tape emitters can enhance salt management for seed germination, leach salts in permanent crops, and dilute soil salinity for salt sensitive crops. In addition, the manual highlights some of the agronomic and economic disadvantages of using widely spaced emitters.
The Advantages of Closely Spaced Emitters Read More »
The “Typical Drip Irrigation Layout” illustration has been developed to help those who are unfamiliar with drip irrigation understand basic drip irrigation system components and concepts. The drip irrigation layout illustration is organized into two halves. First, the “headworks” portion of a drip irrigation system shows the typical water sources, pumps, filters, chemical injection equipment
Typical Drip Irrigation System Layout Read More »
Drip irrigation is a mainstream technology in dozens of other crop production systems throughout the world because it allows producers to evenly spoon-feed precious water and nutrients directly to every plant’s root zone despite variable soil conditions, undulating terrain, odd field dimensions or long lengths of run. But potato producers have been slower to adopt drip since there are significant changes in bed configuration, agronomic decisions, and planting and harvesting equipment that go along with this technology.
Despite these challenges, cutting-edge producers, suppliers, and researchers are coming up with viable answers in hopes of bolstering the potato industry against the inevitable vagaries of the market, economy, costs, and resource availability, and are discovering significant benefits in adopting drip irrigation for potato production.
Benefits of Drip Irrigation on Potatoes Read More »