Precision Irrigators Network
Proper water conservation and management of irrigation water is increasingly important for growers in regions of irrigated agriculture in Texas. Economics and availability of water cause most producers to practice efficient irrigation, but due to new pumping and use limitations, growers are forced to evaluate their systems’ efficiency and adopt new practices to conserve irrigation water use.
The Precision Irrigators Network: On-Farm Research and Demonstration to Evaluate Irrigation Scheduling Tools in the Wintergarden and Texas High Plains project educates growers on water conservation and irrigation management of economically significant crops. Demonstration trials carried out on growers’ fields implement limited irrigation practices and use decision support systems (e.g. CroPMan) to obtain information, such as real-time crop water use or soil water availability, to achieve water conservation while maintaining yield. These demonstrations actively involve growers in the evaluation and adoption of efficient irrigation systems and practices.
Preliminary studies show that if growers in the Wintergarden region implement these irrigation management techniques, they may save approximately 50,000 to 60,000 acre-feet per year. In the Texas High Plains, studies show that if growers increased their use of Evapotranspiration (ET) Network data from 20 to 50 percent, 1 million acre-feet of water and more than $18 million in fuel costs would be saved annually.
Objectives
- Encourage producers to implement limited irrigation to alleviate excessive water use in the High Plains and Wintergarden regions
- Conduct on-farm demonstration trials where growers will be actively involved in the evaluation of precision irrigation programs that best fit their farms
- Educate growers about precision irrigation and use of tools such as potential ET, crop water requirements and soil water availability
- Determine the effectiveness of decision support systems, such as CroPMan and Crop ET, for optimizing the timing and quantity of in-season irrigation
Accomplishments
- In the Wintergarden region, 20 growers are participating in the PIN on-farm research and demonstrations and 11 growers are participating in the High Plains.
- Through this project a decision support system guide was developed to provide growers with an explanation of “Tools available for implementing water conservation best management practices in Texas.”
- In 2007, High Plains growers saved between 9 and 45 percent of their water by using precision irrigation technologies.
Collaborators
- Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife
- Texas AgriLife Research
- Texas AgriLife Extension Service
- Edwards Aquifer Authority
- San Antonio Water Systems
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Funding Agency
- Texas Water Development Board
