Using advanced technologies to help improve irrigation efficiency and maximize yields. From soil moisture sensors to harvesting rainwater, there are many water conservation techniques to implement.
Separate plants into hydro-zones to identify which areas require more or less water than others. Use a rain barrel or other container to collect rainfall and connect it to your system via a water hose for garden or lawn watering.
Drip Irrigation Systems
Drip irrigation conserves water by precisely applying the right amount of water directly to the plant roots. This eliminates overwatering that leads to root rot and other diseases. It also reduces evaporation and deep drainage, which is especially helpful in arid areas.
A drip irrigation system also deprives weeds of the moisture they need to grow, which can reduce or eliminate weeding in gardens and fields. In addition, this method of irrigation helps to keep soil at optimal moisture levels, thereby reducing the need for additional fertilizer.
To maximize the efficiency of a drip irrigation system, it is important to monitor the performance and record daily readings. A water flow meter can be used to identify deviations from the normal water rate, which may indicate leaks or clogged emitters. It is also recommended to group plants with similar water needs on the same valve, as this will help to avoid over-watering of turf or under-watering of shrubs and ground cover. Regular flushing of the tubing and tape with chlorine is also necessary to minimize clogging.
Smart Sprinkler Controllers
Using smart irrigation controllers helps to avoid water waste. Overwatering can drown plants or promote shallow roots, result in disease or fungus, or cause soil runoff that pollutes local waterways with fertilizers and pesticides. Replacing a standard clock timer controller with a WaterSense labeled weather-based or soil moisture-based irrigation controller can save an average home nearly 7,600 gallons per year.
Smart controllers use an internet connection to adjust how long and bec tuoi cay how often your sprinklers run based on your landscape needs. These controllers can also work in tandem with other sensors to fine-tune your irrigation.
One way to save water with a smart sprinkler controller is to pair it with a rain/freeze sensor. This will prevent your system from irrigating during and immediately after rain or freeze events, thereby saving water.
Another option is a weather-based smart controller that uses an on-site soil moisture sensor to calculate your landscape’s actual evapotranspiration (ET) each week and then adjusts the irrigation schedule accordingly. These controllers can be installed by homeowners or by Oregon licensed landscape construction professionals.
Soil Moisture Sensors
Soil moisture sensors allow farmers and agritech companies to track water levels near crop roots in order to cut down on wasteful water use. This helps conserve soil health, reduces energy and fertilizer costs, protects local water resources from depletion, and yields higher farmer profits.
Most sensors use either capacitance or resistance to measure soil moisture content. Capacitive sensors estimate moisture content by measuring the change in capacitance between two sensor prongs, while resistive sensors infer it from changes in the electrical conductivity of the soil.
Soil moisture sensors should be calibrated for the specific soil type under which they are being used. Using a sample of the soil in a calibration container, fill it to a level that is representative of the maximum soil water potential for that soil type (usually around 50% depleted). Add an aliquot of distilled water and mix thoroughly. Replace the sensor and position it in the container, making sure that it is completely submerged and that there are no gaps between the sensor and soil. Record the voltage reading and assign it a value for calibration.
Rainwater Harvesting for Irrigation
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has long been used to supplement or even replace traditional irrigation in areas where water is limited. Capturing and storing rainwater allows farmers to reduce their dependence on controlled water resources, which can help maintain the hydro-geological balance of lakes and rivers while also saving money on irrigation costs.
The most basic RWH systems consist of a method to collect rainfall (like a gutter and downspout), a way to direct the collected rainwater to a storage area (such as a barrel) and a pumping and delivery system to send the harvested water to the crop. More complex systems include filtration and monitoring equipment. The type of end use will influence how much filtration the system needs, as well as how much storage capacity is required.
The most common use of RWH is for supplementary irrigation, complementing existing rainfall or reducing the intensity and frequency of conventional irrigation. RWH can also provide a source of clean, fresh water in regions where groundwater is contaminated, or where desalination and piping water from distant sources are expensive.
Efficient Irrigation Design
Irrigation design is a detailed, specialized process that depends on each project’s layouts, water sources, dimensions and more. A good irrigation designer will take these factors into account when creating a system, especially for high-end or municipal projects where the cost of an incorrect design could easily run into thousands in extra materials and call backs to correct problems once they’re installed.
For water scarce regions, increased physical irrigation efficiency can be an effective way to conserve water in agriculture (Perry and Steduto 2017). However, this requires understanding how efficiency improvements impact the structure of costs and revenues, which depends on the allocation regime in place. Most allocation regimes are based on common pool or prior appropriation, which restrict the ability to trade water between farmers.
Also, higher irrigation efficiency methods like drip and sprinkler systems require larger pipes, infrastructure and pumps that consume energy, especially in areas where electricity costs are subsidized or where the only source of power is solar or diesel. This makes them a costly investment for lower-value crops. It is important to consider all these issues before investing in new technology.