While experienced growers generally rely on intuition and past experience to guide their irrigation plans and crop management, this approach is becoming increasingly unreliable due to evolving climate conditions. Many of these growers are working with only limited information available to them, which can lead to poor crop quality and reduced yields as a consequence. 

“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.” — Jim Barksdale 

With the emergence of new technologies, data has become the foundation of precision irrigation – offering objective insights that enhance the grower’s touch.  

To make the most of irrigation data, protected cropping growers should focus on the following essential actions: 

1. Collect the data: Gathering information from relevant sources like real-time digital sensors installed in their farms and from other irrigation monitoring tools. 
2. Analyze the data: Look for patterns and insights within the data. 
3. Make informed decisions: Combine data with experience and qualitative analysis.  
4. Implement changes: Apply these insights to refine irrigation strategies and fertigation practices for future cycles. 
5. Observe and refine: Monitor the outcomes of your irrigation and adjust strategies based on real-time conditions and forecasts. 

For example, reviewing the previous day’s irrigation results together with climate and water demand forecasts helps agronomists make agile irrigation decisions daily. By integrating this data with real-time monitoring of environmental conditions and root zone moisture, agronomists and growers can precisely time their watering, adjust nutrient and pH levels, and optimize irrigation frequency.  

Here’s a closer look at the key types of data to inform your irrigation strategy:

Drip and drain data   

Drip and drain data refers to the amount of water supplied through drip irrigation and the excess runoff that plants do not absorb. By recording this data daily or multiple times a day, growers can gain valuable insights into their plants’ water and nutrient uptake, responsiveness to environmental conditions, and the overall effectiveness of their irrigation system. 

Substrate data 

Monitoring substrate conditions is essential for precision irrigation and fertigation in soilless cultivation. This includes measuring substrate extract electrical conductivity (EC) to gauge the nutrient concentration available to plants, live root zone EC to assess nutrient uptake in the root area, and substrate moisture content to maintain optimal water levels.  

Climate data  

Historical, current, and forecasted climate data are vital for growers to anticipate and prepare for potential plant stress. By leveraging this information to predict challenging growing conditions, growers can proactively adjust their irrigation schedules, nutrient delivery, and environmental controls to maintain crop integrity and prevent production losses.  

Evapotranspiration 

Farmers can use evapotranspiration (ET) to estimate the amount of water being taken up or used by their fields and crops. 

Plant data 

Direct measurements of plant temperature and other physiological parameters provide insights into crop health and hydration status. When plant temperature exceeds ambient temperature, it can indicate reduced transpiration and potential water stress, signalling the need for timely irrigation adjustments. 

Plant balance data  

Tracking plant balance in vine crops like tomatoes and peppers helps determine whether the crop is in a generative (fruiting) or vegetative (non-fruiting) state. This knowledge allows growers to steer crop growth through their irrigation regime.

A shift from manual data collection to digital is the step change needed for growers to improve data quality and accuracy on the farm. With digital tools capturing near real-time data on water usage and analysis and visualization of the data in farm management systems, growers can closely monitor their irrigation practices and continually refine their strategies. Using a platform like WayBeyond’s FarmRoad that unifies and visualizes these insights with data on weather, microclimate, and plant health gives a comprehensive overview, helping growers make smarter, more informed irrigation decisions. To stay competitive and to meet the challenge of changing climates, modern protected cropping growers need to adopt these digital agronomy tools now available to them.  

In the next articles in our smart irrigation series, we will explore how growers can get insights from their water use with drip and drain monitoring, and also how combining data on water demand with climate forecasts can enhance irrigation planning.