Water advance model and sensor system can reduce tail runoff in irrigated alfalfafields
2014
Surface irrigation, such as flood or furrow, is the predominant form of irrigation
in California for agronomic crops. Compared to other irrigation methods, however,
it is inefficient in terms of water use; large quantities of water, instead of being
used for crop production, are lost to excess deep percolation and tail runoff. In
surface-irrigated fields, irrigators commonly cut off the inflow of water when the
water advance reaches a familiar or convenient location downfield, but this experience-based
strategy has not been very successful in reducing the tail runoff water. Our study
compared conventional cutoff practices to a retroactively applied model-based cutoff
method in four commercially producing alfalfa fields in Northern California, and evaluated
the model using a simple sensor system for practical application in typical alfalfa
fields. These field tests illustrated that the model can be used to reduce tail runoff
in typical surface-irrigated fields, and using it with a wireless sensor system saves
time and labor as well as water.
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