IN YOUR ORCHARD
incorporating flow meters and back-calculating the
information against orchard water requirements to offer a
more accurate reading for water use efficiency levels.
There is a quote that goes, “you can’t manage what you
don’t measure,” and that’s really where it starts in this
case and is the big step in moving up the Continuum.
When growers understand and embrace level 1.0, they
quickly move up to 2.0 and 3.0 because, as you’ve gone
through the Continuum, the change is in the frequency
in gathering data versus the implementation of new
practices.
Q: What is the best way to determine when irrigation
should begin in the springtime? What tools are
available to help growers make this decision?
SC:
There are a few different ways to help determine
when irrigation should begin. Keep in mind, this also
varies for every grower based on where they are in
the Continuum. To begin, use weather data and look
at effective rainfall and evapotranspiration rates to
calculate your soil moisture level (this would be more of a
level 1.0 method). Alternatively, a more advanced method
would be using a pressure chamber to determine plant
water status, and then matching the data against defined
thresholds to determine when irrigation should begin.
Q: What would you recommend is the best irrigation
technology investment for a grower?
SC:
The number one tool is a flow meter. This is the first big
step in being able to measure and understand how much
water is applied to the orchard. From there, the next best
investment is in understanding set duration, which allows
growers to not only see how much water was applied,
but how long it took to apply that water. Unexpected
events can occur at any time for an irrigation system, so
having a monitoring system in place with sensors can help
identify and provide alerts on a variety of issues. Beyond
that point, it’s not really one technology or the other but
one then the other. Irrigation system performance is key
and something you should consider throughout the year.
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A L M O N D F A C T S
