Irrigation automation and irrigation scheduling are two different concepts that need to be understood and it’s equally important to understand that irrigation automation is not necessarily irrigation scheduling.
Irrigation Automation
Irrigation automation (Irrigation Control Systems) is a software program instructing an irrigation system to start pumps, open and close valves, flush filters and manage fertigation applications at specific times, for a specific duration, on a specific day and as per a predetermined schedule.
The only automated irrigation scheduling system that is currently successfully implemented, is in the intensive tunnel cropping sector where its timer-based operations are shut-off by excess water run-off measurements which in turn shut-off the irrigation cycle.
Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation scheduling is the strategic planning of when, how much and how often to irrigate your crop, based on soil parameters and moisture conditions, root depth, crop specific phenology, environmental conditions and irrigation system parameters. Without all of these factors one is simply not scheduling their irrigation effectively.
In-field Automated Irrigation Scheduling Systems
The sweet spot is getting your irrigation scheduling platform to communicate with the automation system, however, currently this comes with risks.
One is required to have feedback loops to avoid a system not opening at all or a system that opens for an extended period of time unabated.
Soil moisture sensors, weather stations, canopy temperature and humidity sensors, in-field irrigation flow meters and pressure sensors, together with in-field, human, specialist observations are all required to be in place.
Beware of an automation company that puts in soil moisture probes and claims that you now have an infield automated irrigation system without any of the other components.
It is simply not possible to schedule a plants water requirements simply by putting a soil moisture probe into the soil. It takes a specialist and a specialist platform, such as the IrriCheck Pules™ platform, to do your irrigation scheduling, as it also takes a specialist to install and set-up an automated system.
IrriCheck is SA’s largest independent irrigation scheduling consulting firm with irrigation scheduling consultants throughout South Africa, SADC, Australia, New-Zealand and Chile.
We are independent of the soil moisture probe manufacturers; and supply, install and maintain all the trusted brands, and provide our own proprietary irrigation scheduling software, IrriCheck Pulse™.
The IrriCheck Pulse™ platform uses the soil moisture probes to measure Plant Available Water in mm/m (predominantly dependent on soil structure), daily crop water use in mm (ETc), weather forecast data to interpret Reference Evapotranspiration (ET0) or the demand on the crop. The IrriCheck Pulse™ platform then incorporates crop specific phenology and the irrigation system parameters to determine when to irrigation and how much to irrigate seven days in advance
This system is live and updated hourly to ensure precise moisture management for all types of crops.
It all starts in the soil with a well-developed and maintained root system. This is achieved through aerobic soil conditions together with sufficient moisture levels to give the crop a consistent supply, allowing for efficient nutrient absorption and optimal hormone regulation.
Satellite imagery, stem and fruit dendrometers, sap flow sensors and thermal sensing are all plant-based sensors that are great to incorporate and are very useful tools which we also supply, install and incorporate into our scheduling platform, but these sensors only give an indication of when plants go into stress conditions, something we use our IrriCheck Pulse™ platform to prevent.
IrriCheck is a trusted ag tech company that specializes in irrigation scheduling with close on 30 years of service to clients in South Africa and internationally.
Combined with our unwavering commitment to servicing our clients and backed-up by our agronomic expertise, our proprietary and proudly South African irrigation scheduling software, the IrriCheck Pulse™ platform takes data from multiple IoT sensors including soil moisture probes and provides our clients with actual irrigation recommendations in hours, mm or cubes seven days in advance while taking into consideration the soil types and plant available water, crop phenology, weather forecast and irrigation system limitations.
For more information, please contact your nearest IrriCheck specialist or contact our head office at 021 300 0425 or e-mail info@irricheck.co.za, or visit www.irricheck.co.za
By: James Moore
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