An Irrigation Crash Course: How to Calculate Your Orchards Water Needs
David Doll UCCE Merced Carolyn Debuse David Doll 1-19-2011 UC Farm Advisor, UC Farm Advisor, North San Joaquin Yolo/Solano County Valley Almond Day Merced County
Irrigation scheduling
How much water does your crop need this irrigation?
Evapotranspiration
(ET0 = ETC x KC /irrigation efficiency)
How much water is being applied per irrigation set? Measure
Flow meter Irrigation efficiency testing Coffee can test
Water Export of the Orchard
Transpiration needed for plant growth Evaporation Due to environmental conditions Runoff/ Groundwater Recharge Due to over-application
Two (official) ways to schedule irrigation
Apply water to replace Apply water in an estimate to meet demand water used that week
1. Can use historical ET values for the Sacramento Valley 2. Needs to be adjusted if under-applied 3. Over-application may be lost to deep percolation 1. Can use real time CIMIS ET values and calculate crop use
2. Can use historical ET values for the Sacramento Valley 3. Over application may be lost to deep percolation
How do we calculate water use?
Evapo-transpiration of the Known, reference crop (grass) Variable
ETc = ETo x kc
Evapo-transpiration of the Crop of Interest (almonds)
Unknown
Crop Coefficient ratio of water need of crop v/s water Known,need of grass
Fixed
How do we figure out Eto?
1). CIMIS
How do we figure out Eto?
1). CIMIS
What about the crop coefficient?
Research has been done to determine this:
Almond Orchard Dec/ Feb Mar Apr May June/Jul Sept Kc by Month Jan y/Aug With cover Crop 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.95 1.05 1.15 1.10 Oct Nov
0.90 0.85
Without Cover Crop
0.50 0.70 0.85
0.90
0.80
0.75 0.65
The Almond Production Manual, handout in the back
Calculating Orchard Water Use
Week ETo for the Almond Kc week (Grass for the month water use) of May provided by CIMIS 1.65 1.05 1.20 1.39 1.19 0.72 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 ETc for the week (water lost from the orchard) 1.74 1.26 1.46 1.25 0.76 Cumulative total of water use by the Almond Orchard w/ cover crop 1.74 1.26 + 1.74 = 3 3 + 1.46 = 4.46 4.46 + 1.25 = 5.71 5.71 + 0.76 = 6.47
May 1st7th 8th - 14th 15th- 21st 22nd-28th 29th- 31st
How do we calculate a water application?
We now know Etc, but how much do we need to apply to each tree?
Water use (Gals/day) = crop spacing (ft2) x ET (In/day) x 0.623 Example: ET is 0.25 in/day, spacing is 22 x 18 Tree Crop spacing 22x18 = 396 ft2 Water use per tree = 396 x 0.25 x 0.623 = 61.68 gallons/day
Thats it? WellNo
Take into account water holding capacity
Soil water holding capacity
Field capacity =water remaining in the soil after free water from rain or irrigation has drained out ( 3-4 days) Permanent wilting point= amount of water still left in the soil that the plant can not absorb
Available water= Field capacity-permanent wilting point= usable water for plant
Soil water holding capacity
Field Capacity
Allowable depletion Available water
50% Permanent wilting point
Root Zone
Rooting zone must be taken in to consideration
2 feet 4.5 foot
Available water
Type of Soil Very Course to course texture sand Moderately course sandy loams Medium textured- fine sandy loam to silty clay loam Fine and very fine- silty clay to clay Peats and mucks Range in/ft Average in/ft
0.5 to1.00
1.00 to 1.50 1.25 to 1.75 1.50 to 2.50 2.00 to 3.00
0.75
1.25 1.50 2.00 2.50
Estimate the available water and multiply by rooting depth
Example: yolo silty clay loam at field capacity= 1.50 in/ft x 5 ft rooting depth= 7. 5 in available water to tree Allowable depletion= 3.75 in
Water Holding Capacity
Soil Surface
1"-12" 13"-24"
Soil Texture
Depth in Feet
1 1
Available Available Water Holding Ca water in each pacity (From soil layer (in) Table 3) 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.8
Sand Loamy Sand
25-42"
Sandy Loam
1.5
1.0 Total:
1.5 2.9
Allowable Depletion: 1.45
Needs to be determined once in orchards life.
So, That has to be it? WellNo
Take into irrigation system inefficiency
System Basin/Flood Furrow Ea (%) 65 - 80 65-75
Solid Set Sprinkler Micro-sprinkler
Drip
75-85 85-90
90-95
Slightly more water will be needed to ensure that the trees receive adequate water
How do we calculate water use?
ETc =
ETo x kc Ea
If total more than WHC, than irrigate more frequently to match water applied with WHC
Bringing It All Together: The Weather
Date 7/3/2011 7/4 7/5 7/6 7/7 7/8 7/9 TOTAL Eto (in) 0.27 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.28 0.26 0.26 1.87 Precip (in) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Max Air 104.1 108.2 103.9 94.7 91.6 94.2 86.5 Min Air 82.1 82.6 82.9 79.8 76.6 77.8 71.5
CIMIS: Nicolaus Station 30, Week of July 3rd, 2011
Bringing It All Together: The Site
Bringing It All Together: The Site
Bringing It All Together: The Site
Bringing It All Together: The Site
Soil Profile Depth 0 12 13 20 21 27 28 36 37 42 Soil Type Loamy Fine Sand Sandy Loam Sandy Loam Fine Sandy Loam Fine Sandy Loam WHC (Inches/Foot) 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.7 Available Water 1.0 * 1.2 = 1.2 0.67 * 1.3 = 0.87 0.58 * 1.4 = 0.82 0.75 * 1.7 = 1.26 0.6 * 1.7 = 0.85 TOTAL: 5.00
5.00 of AWHC * 50% Depletion Percentage = 2.50 of Usable, Refillable Water
Bringing It All Together: Scenario 1
Mature 22 x 18, Nonpareil, Aldridge, Sonora on P/A Hybrid Microsprinkler, 14 pattern @ 10 GPA Tested, highly uniform irrigation distribution with efficiency rated at 93%
Bringing It All Together: Scenario 1
ETc:
(1.87 inches*1.15)/0.93 = 2.31 inches
AWHC:
2.50 inches (checks out!)
Water Use per week:
(396)(0.623)(2.31)=570 gallons/week
Pump Time:
570 gallons/week*Hour/10 gallon = 57 Hours/Week
Bringing It All Together: Scenario 2
Mature 22 x 18, Nonpareil, Aldridge, Sonora on P/A Hybrid Double Line Drip, 0.5 gallons/emitter, Emitter every 36 inches, 12 emitters/tree Tested, highly uniform irrigation distribution with efficiency rated at 95%
Bringing It All Together: Scenario 2
ETc:
(1.87 inches*1.15)/0.95 = 2.26 inches
AWHC:
2.50 inches (checks out!)
Water Use per week:
(396)(0.623)(2.26)=557 gallons/week
Pump Time:
557 gallons/week*Hour/(12 emitters*0.5 GPH) = 93 Hours/Week
Irrigation scheduling
How much water does your crop need this irrigation?
Evapotranspiration
(ET0 x ETC x irrigation efficiency)
How much water is being applied per irrigation set? Measure
Flow meter Irrigation efficiency testing Coffee can test
Part 2: Recommended Technology and Its Use for Irrigation DecisionMaking
Irrigation scheduling
When should you start irrigation and how much to apply and how effective is it? Soil moisture monitoring Plant based monitoring
Soil Monitoring
Water holding capacity of soil
Available water Root zone
Soil Monitoring
Ways to monitor soil
Soil moisture (water content)
Hand feel Neutron probe Capacitance probe
Soil tension (centibars)
Resistance blocks Tensiometer
Soil Monitoring
Direct soil moisture by feel
Dry mediumtextured soil
Wet mediumtextured soil
Soil Monitoring
Direct soil moisture by feel Needs a well practiced hand Good way to learn your soil types and their water holding ability Testing your other methods Simplest tools required
Shovel Soil augur
Con: takes a long time and often do not go to deepest rooting depths
Soil Monitoring
Soil tension
Definition: measures the surface tension that the water is held to the soil The tension increases as soils dry, plants spend more energy Measurement unit centibars (cb) Types
Tensiometer Resistance blocks
Soil Monitoring
Tensiometer
Soil Monitoring
Tensiometer
Pros:
no power needed Not affected by salinity Easy to install Not expensive
Cons:
Requires maintenance Not good for dry soil- can lose soil contact Manually read and keep records
Soil Monitoring
Modified electrical resistance
Similar to the gypsum blocks but now are a composite
Soil Monitoring
Reading Soil Tension
Use the following readings as a general guideline: 0-10 Centibars = Saturated soil 10-30 Centibars = Soil is adequately wet (except coarse sands, which are beginning to lose water) 30-60 Centibars = Usual range for irrigation (most soils) 60-100 Centibars = Usual range for irrigation in heavy clay 100-200 Centibars = Soil is becoming dangerously dry for maximum production. Proceed with caution!
[Link]
Water mark automated data
Watermark Data Collected Automatically
40
Soil Monitoring
Modified electrical resistance
Pros No maintenance Least cost Can have many sensors going different depths and areas Possible to use data loggers or remotely Easy hand held meter option Easy to install
Cons Can have problems contacting soil in course textures Can be affected by salinity Need to periodically replace them (3-4 years)
Soil Monitoring
Actual water content Neutron probe
Sample Neutron Probe Data
Soil Depth inches 8 18 Field Capacity (in/ft) 3.4 3.6 Wilting Point (in/ft) 1.7 1.8 June 1 (in/ft) 2.5 2.8 June 1 (%) Depleted 53 44 June 8 (in/ft) 1.9 2.2 June 8 (%) Depleted 88 77
30
42
3.2
3.2
1.6
1.6
3.0
3.2
13
0
2.8
3.1
24
6
54
Total (in/5 ft) % Depleted Rootzone
3.2 16.6
1.6 8.3
3.2 14.7
0 ------
3.2 13.0
0 -----
100
22
------
43
-----
43
Sample Neutron Probe Data
10.00
Inches Water per 3-foot root zone
9.50 9.00
Field Capacity
8.50 8.00 7.50 7.00
6.50 6.00
Wilting Point
10/11 5/10 5/24 8/16 8/30
4/26 6/21 7/19 9/13 9/27
7/5
6/7
Date 2002
Low Stress Plots Mild Stress Moderate Stress
44
8/2
Soil Monitoring
Neutron probe Pros:
Adapts to many soil types Reads actual water content Only need to install access tubes Reads multiple depths in one tube Need radiation license to use Needs to be calibrated to soil type Reading includes water that is not free for plant use Not possible to automate Dependent on consultant
Cons:
Dielectric Soil Moisture Sensors
Two Dielectric Methods Capacitance probes - frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) Time domain reflectometry (TDR) Many sensors available
EnviroSmart Irrimax Aquacheck C-probe Trase Trime ThetaProbe
46
General Dielectric Concept
Measure dielectric constant or ability of a material to establish an electrical field
Air dielectric constant of 1 Dry soil dielectric constant of 3 to 5 Water dielectric constant of about 80 Change in dielectric constant for soil indicates change in soil moisture More moisture increases the dielectric constant or the ability of the soil to concentrate the electrical field
47
Soil Monitoring
49
Soil Monitoring
Dielectric sensors Pros:
Increased accuracy with calibration to soil type Reads actual water content Able to automate readings
Cons:
Complicated electronics Requires power Some may be effected by salts or heavy soils Errors can occur with loss of soil contact with sensor
Plant Based monitoring
Pressure chamber
Midday Stem Water Potential (MSWP) or (SWP)- measures resistance in bars
Take reading between 12-3 pm Bag shaded leaf near trunk Wait 15 minutes before reading Only remove one leaf at a time Record time and temp for baseline reading
Plant Based Monitoring
Baseline: it is the reading that would occur on a well watered tree at that temperature (F) and percent relative humidity (RH%) Each reading taken is compared to the baseline
Baseline
Example: 90F @ 30%RH= baseline of -8.1 bars
Plant Based Monitoring
Irrigation decisions Mature trees- allow SWP to drop 1-2 bars below baseline before irrigating Do not irrigate in spring until SWP is below baseline (3-4 bars) Irrigate enough to bring SWP back to near baseline (-7 to -8 bars) Young trees should be kept near baseline to promote growth
Using SWP to Schedule Irrigation
0
-10
-20
-30
10/13
10/23
11/12
-4.0
-6.0
-8.0 Midday Stem Water Potential (-bars) -10.0 -12.0 -14.0
-16.0
-18.0 -20.0 -22.0 -24.0
-26.0
-28.0 -30.0
Orchard Reading Predicted reading when fully irrigated
11/22
Midday Stem Water Potential Levels in C8 Almond Orchard at Surface Renewal Location, 2010. .
3/17
2/15 2/25 3/27 4/16 4/26 5/16 5/26 6/15 6/25 7/15 7/25 8/14 8/24 9/13 9/23 10/3 11/2
5/6
3/7
4/6
6/5
7/5
8/4
9/3
Plant Based Monitoring
Pros:
Soil type does not affect reading Salinity does not effect reading Can monitor in any area of the orchard No installation
Cons:
Time consuming Need trained personnel
Putting the tools to work
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Track ET Monitor soil moisture Collect pressure chamber readings Irrigate Checking results
Getting Help
[Link] online tool for ET Irrigation Scheduling (Fresno State) The California Microirrigation Pocket Guide, available at your local NRCS office Local Farm Advisor UC IPM Guide
