Conservation Through Innovation. Calvin Perry. Superintendent

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1 Conservation Through Innovation Calvin Perry Superintendent

2 Importance of Irrigation to Georgia Now ~ 1,170,000 ac >13,000 center pivots ,000 acres 87 center pivots

3 Center Pivot Irrigation Systems SIRP

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5 130 ac total 70 ac cropped

6 SIRP Projects Agronomic Engineering Automation Education Outreach Crops: cotton, corn, peanut, sweet corn, soybean, tomato, peppers Many projects (at SIRP or in farmer fields) aimed at irrigation water conservation. Partnerships very important.

7 Irrigation management zone Stripling Park offers unique irrigation controls

8 Stripling Park offers unique irrigation controls Irrigation management zones

9 Stripling Park offers unique irrigation controls

10 Water Conservation Projects Remote soil moisture monitoring Irrigation scheduling Sub-surface drip irrigation Variable-Rate Irrigation (VRI) Conservation tillage

11 Farm Office How could a grower possibly monitor soil moisture in so many fields located many miles apart? REMOTE SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING!

12 Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring Accessing soil moisture data from sensors via telemetry to remote site. Sensors primarily Resistance-type Irrometer Watermark Capacitance-type Decagon Ech2o AquaSpy probe Sentek Enviroscan Earthtec / Adcon EasyAg Irrometer.com Aquaspy.com

13 Many capacitance sensor probes have multiple sensors at various depths.

14 Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring New sensors available include Crop canopy temperature Smartfield Smartcrop

15 Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring

16 Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring

17 Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring Shallow Deep

18 Telemetry Methods Radio Spread-spectrum Licensed Mesh Internet WiFi, WiMAX, other wireless broadband Cellular GSM (T-mobile, ATT) CDMA (Verizon, Sprint) Satellite

19 Irrigation Scheduling - Options Option 1 - Visit the field Make an irrigation decision based on what you observe there at the time. Option 2 - Predict crop water use behavior Make an irrigation decision based on typical (model) behavior. Option 3 - Track crop soil water status remotely Make an irrigation decision based on information relayed from the field.

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28 Yield (lb/a) Irrigation (inches) Irrigation Model Evaluation Stripling Irrigation Research Park Yield Irrigation c bc abc ab ab a Primed acclimation rainfed Irr Pro v3 ET PA 60 dap Irr Pro new PA 45 dap

29 Lint yield (lb/a) Conservation tillage + primed acclimation: 2 potential water-saving concepts Conv. tillage Strip tillage Rainfed 50PA 70PA Fully irrigated Irrigation treatment 70% of fully irrigated level for the PA period

30 Lint Yield Lint Yield Lint Yield cbar trigger 40-cbar trigger 60-cbar trigger cbar Trigger 75% Irrigation Deficit 50% Irrigation Deficit Lint Yield Lint Yield Lint Yield cbar Trigger 3 Day Remote 7 Day Remote Sensing Delay Sensing delay Non-Irrigated

31 Kan Sched 50% MAD Average Total irrigation (inches) "Farmer Standard" KanSched 30% MAD Aveage Yields (boxes per acre) 2008 & 2009 Average Yields by Average Total Irrigation total irrigation yield

32 Subsurface Drip Irrigation

33 Subsurface Drip Irrigation

34 Subsurface Drip Irrigation Conventional Tillage Conservation Tillage

35 Subsurface Drip Irrigation Radios for Soil Moisture Probes

36 Subsurface Drip Irrigation Valley Stripling Irrigation Research Park Reinke Overhead Zimmatic Drip Overhead Drip Drip Overhead

37 Subsurface Drip Irrigation Radios for Soil Moisture Probes

38 Variable-Rate Irrigation

39 Over 60 VRI systems installed thru Water use analysis indicates an average of 15% water savings with VRI.

40 Variable-Rate Irrigation Sprinklers and End Gun Off

41 Variable-Rate Irrigation Sprinklers and End Gun Off

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44 Variable-Rate Irrigation

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46 Variable-Rate Irrigation

47 Variable-Rate Irrigation

48 Conservation Tillage Research has shown increased infiltration, increased organic matter, increased soil water holding capacity.

49 Conservation Tillage

50 Lint yield (lb/a) Conservation tillage + primed acclimation: 2 potential water-saving concepts Conv. tillage Strip tillage Rainfed 50PA 70PA Fully irrigated Irrigation treatment 70% of fully irrigated level for the PA period

51 Looking to the Future

52 Automated Controls Sensor data collected by central receiver is passed on to VRI controller VRI controller assesses soil moisture and / or temperature data determines need for irrigation in each management zone controls pivot to apply required volumes Central receiver Sensor node Conservation tillage being used Efficient sprinklers being used

53 Many cheap sensors in multiple locations across a field

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57 Thanks for your attention. Calvin Perry Stripling Irrigation Research Park 8207 Hwy 37 W Camilla GA perrycd@uga.edu