Abstract
Variable-rate irrigation (VRI) systems have the potential to conserve water by spatially allocating limited water resources. However, when compared to traditional irrigation systems, VRI systems require a higher level of management. In this 3-year study, we evaluated spatial irrigation management of a peanut crop grown under a VRI system using an expert system (Irrigator Pro). The irrigation management treatments evaluated were: (1) using Irrigator Pro (IP) to manage irrigation uniformly in plots with varying soils; (2) using Irrigator Pro to manage irrigation in plots based on the individual soils (IPS); (3) a treatment based on maintaining soil water potential (SWP) above −30 kPa (approximately 50 % depletion of available water) in the surface 30 cm of each soil within a plot; and (4) a non-irrigated treatment. Over the 3-year study, all irrigated treatments had significantly higher yields (4,230, 4,130, and 4,394 kg ha−1 for the IP, IPS, and SWP treatments, respectively) than the non-irrigated treatment (3,285 kg ha−1), yet the yields of the three irrigation treatments were not significantly different. Averaged over the 3-year experiment, the three treatments did not differ significantly in water usage. In the 2007 and 2009 growing seasons with below normal rainfall, the IP and IPS treatments required significantly greater total water than the SWP treatment. Overall, water use efficiency was significantly higher for the non-irrigated and SWP treatments (9.4 and 8.9 kg ha−1 per mm, respectively). The lower water use efficiency for the IP and IPS irrigation treatments (7.8 kg ha−1 per mm) was attributed to greater water applications mainly due to earlier growing season initiation of irrigation applications. However, the IP and IPS treatments maintained soil water potentials at the 30- and 60-cm depths at higher levels throughout most of the season. The two Irrigator Pro expert system treatments functioned as well as the SWP-based treatment. The Irrigator Pro expert system can be effectively used for site-specific management where management zone soils do not greatly differ. Further refinement of the expert system may be needed to improve its application in spatial irrigation applications.
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Communicated by P. Waller.
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Stone, K.C., Bauer, P.J., Busscher, W.J. et al. Variable-rate irrigation management using an expert system in the eastern coastal plain. Irrig Sci 33, 167–175 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-014-0457-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-014-0457-x