sept-oct-2020

What does that look like for growers ? Saa and ABC’s Senior Manager of Field Outreach and Education Tom Devol outlined these anticipated advancements for growers within the next decade: • Measuring actual evapotranspiration (ETa) — the amount of water a tree really uses — will allow growers to more effectively calibrate irrigation needs. • Yield forecasts will be fine-tuned, leading to precise irrigation plans that determine how much water is needed to maximize production. • Irrigation technology will allow different volumes of water to be applied in different parts of the same orchard. • SGMA (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) will inspire additional improvements in water use efficiency. Devol said the data shows many growers already take advantage of technology available today, 2 but that enhancements in software and standardization of some of the metrics will make it easier to aggregate and analyze the data. “There are pieces of the larger irrigation improvement puzzle being implemented now in different forms,” he said. “For instance, remote imagery is becoming more common. There are a number of companies that provide that service — they send satellite images to growers every couple of weeks.” Devol said growers developing new orchards — with brand new irrigation systems — are most likely to integrate new technology. Conversely, the cost of replacing already established micro-irrigation systems may be a financial disincentive for other growers, he said. “What we’re looking to do is break the irrigation system into a grid of irrigation blocks,” Devol explained. “Then, we can choose where we deliver water to, using a software tool to help guide that decision. The goal is to have flexibility in to how to deliver water.” ABC’s Strategic Plan on Irrigation The Almond Board has been investing in irrigation-related research for nearly 50 years, recognizing and underscoring the role almond growers must play in sustainably managing water resources in the state. In the last five years, ABC has devoted almost $4 million to irrigation research, encompassing 21 projects (eight of which are ongoing). 2 2019 California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) data. 3 1 S E P T E M B E R – O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0