scholarly journals A Decade of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Irrigated Agriculture in the Western U.S.

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Chávez ◽  
Alfonso F Torres-Rua ◽  
Wayne E. Woldt ◽  
Huihui Zhang ◽  
Christopher C Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Systems ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Processing Software ◽  
Aerial Systems ◽  
Precision Irrigation

Highlights Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are able to provide data for precision irrigation management. Improvements are needed regarding UAS platforms, sensors, processing software, and regulations. Integration of multi-scale imagery into scientific irrigation scheduling tools are needed for technology adoption. Abstract . Several research institutes, laboratories, academic programs, and service companies around the United States have been developing programs to utilize small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) as an instrument to improve the efficiency of in-field water and agronomical management. This article describes a decade of efforts on research and development efforts focused on UAS technologies and methodologies developed for irrigation management, including the evolution of aircraft and sensors in contrast to data from satellites. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for UAS operation in agriculture have been synthesized along with proposed modifications to enhance UAS contributions to irrigated agriculture. Although it is feasible to use sUAS technology to produce maps of actual crop coefficients, actual crop evapotranspiration, and soil water deficits, for irrigation management, the technology and regulations need to evolve further to facilitate a successful wide adoption and application. Improvements and standards are needed in terms of cameras’ spectral (bands) ranges, radiometric resolutions and associated calibrations, fuel/power technology for longer missions, better imagery processing software, and easier FAA approval of higher altitudes flight missions among other issues. Furthermore, the sUAS technology would play a larger role in irrigated agriculture when integrating multi-scale data (sUAS, ground-based or proximal, satellite) and soil water sensors is addressed, including the need for advances on processing large amounts of data from multiple and different sources, and integration into scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) systems for convenience of decision making. Desirable technological innovations, and features of the next generation of UAS platforms, sensors, software, and methods for irrigated agriculture, are discussed. Keywords: Agricultural water management, Irrigation prescription mapping, Irrigation scheduling, Precision irrigation, Remote sensing, Sensors, Spatial crop evaOotranspiration, Unmanned aerial systems.

scholarly journals High Plains Aquifer–State of Affairs of Irrigated Agriculture and Role of Irrigation in the Sustainability Paradigm

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ajaz ◽  
Sumon Datta ◽  
Scott Stoodley
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
High Plains ◽  
High Plains Aquifer ◽  
Soil Moisture Sensors ◽  
Pumping Rates ◽  
Subsurface Drip ◽  
State Of Affairs

Groundwater depletion is a serious issue in the southern and central parts of the High Plains Aquifer (HPA), USA. A considerable imbalance exists between the recharge process and groundwater extractions in these areas, which threatens the long-term sustainability of the aquifer. Irrigated agriculture has a major share in the economy, and it requires high pumping rates in regions vulnerable to large groundwater level declines. A literature review has been conducted to understand the state of affairs of irrigated agriculture in the HPA, along with the dynamics of groundwater decline and recharge using statistical and remote-sensing based datasets. Also, three irrigation management and technology-based approaches have been discussed from the perspective of sustainability. The southern and central parts of the HPA consist mostly of non-renewable groundwater formations, and the natural water storage is prone to exhaustion. Moreover, the aforementioned regions have comparatively higher crop water requirement due to the climate, and irrigating crops in these regions puts stringent pressure on the aquifer. The upper threshold of irrigation application efficiency (IAE) is high in the HPA, and could reach up to 95%; however, considerable room for improvement in irrigation water management exists. In general, the practices of irrigation scheduling used in the HPA are conventional and a small proportion of growers use modern methods to decide about irrigation timing. Among numerous ways to promote sustainable groundwater use in the HPA, deficit irrigation, use of soil moisture sensors, and subsurface drip irrigation can be considered as potential ways to attain higher lifespans in susceptible parts of the aquifer.

scholarly journals Improved Irrigation Management of Sweet Orange with Huanglongbing

HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 916-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said A. Hamido ◽  
Kelly T. Morgan ◽  
Robert C. Ebel ◽  
Davie M. Kadyampakeni
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Sweet Orange ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Stem Water Potential ◽  
Area Index ◽  
The Impact

Because of the decline in production and negative economic effects, there is an urgent need for strategies to reduce the impact of Huanglongbing (HLB) on citrus [Citrus ×sinensis (L.) Osbeck]. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different irrigation schedules on total available soil water (TAW) and water uptake characteristics of citrus trees affected by HLB in central and southwest Florida. The study was initiated in Jan. 2014 for 2 years on 5-year-old sweet orange trees located in three commercial groves at Arcadia, Avon Park, and Immokalee, FL. Each grove had three irrigation scheduling treatments including the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recommendations, Daily irrigation, and an Intermediate treatment. All groves received similar volumes of water per week based on evapotranspiration (ETo) reported by the Florida Automated Weather Network. Sap flow (SF) measurements were taken for two trees per treatment for at least 10 days per site (twice/year). During those periods, leaf area, leaf area index (LAI), and stem water potential (Ψ) were determined. Also, TAW was determined using drainage curve and capacitance soil moisture sensors installed at incremental soil depths of 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm. Results showed significant differences in average SF, LAI, Ψ, and TAW measurements among treatments. Diurnal SF value under daily irrigation treatment increased by 91%, 51%, and 105% compared with UF/IFAS irrigation in Arcadia, Avon Park, and Immokalee, respectively. Soil water contents (WCs) under daily treatment increased by 59%, 59%, and 70% compared with UF/IFAS irrigation treatment in Arcadia, Avon Park, and Immokalee, respectively. Our results indicated that daily irrigation improved tree water dynamics compared with IFAS or Intermediate irrigation scheduling treatments and reduced tree stress with the same volume of water.

scholarly journals Middleware to Operate Smart Photovoltaic Irrigation Systems in Real Time

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael González Perea ◽  
Aida Mérida García ◽  
Irene Fernández García ◽  
Emilio Camacho Poyato ◽  
Pilar Montesinos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Real Field ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Irrigation Season

Climate change, water scarcity and higher energy requirements and electric tariff compromises the continuity of the irrigated agriculture. Precision agriculture (PA) or renewable energy sources which are based on communication and information technologies and a large amount of data are key to ensuring this economic activity and guaranteeing food security at the global level. Several works which are based on the use of PA and renewable energy sources have been developed in order to optimize different variables of irrigated agriculture such as irrigation scheduling. However, the large amount of technologies and sensors that these models need to be implemented are still far from being easily accessible and usable by farmers. In this way, a middleware called Real time Smart Solar Irrigation Manager (RESSIM) has been developed in this work and implemented in MATLABTM with the aim to provide to farmers a user-friendly tool for the daily making decision process of irrigation scheduling using a smart photovoltaic irrigation management module. RESSIM middleware was successfully tested in a real field during a full irrigation season of olive trees using a real smart photovoltaic irrigation system.

scholarly journals Groundwater-Based Irrigation in the US – Challenges and Progress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Masasi
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
The Us ◽  
Agricultural Regions

Even though groundwater-based irrigation has increased agricultural productivity and economic activity in the United States (US), the current rate of groundwater withdrawals from major aquifers could significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems in the near future. In the major agricultural regions, producers are now facing challenges to irrigate to meet full crop water needs. There is an increasing need to strategize irrigation management under various climatic and environmental conditions to optimize water use in agriculture while optimizing crop yields. This study reviews some of the major challenges facing irrigated agriculture in the US and the potential measures to ensure the sustainability of groundwater-based irrigation. Identified challenges included diminishing quantity and quality of groundwater resources, frequent droughts, low adoption rates of precision irrigation technologies, and rising energy requirements for irrigation abstractions. Irrigation efficiency improvements, shifting to high water use efficiency crops, wastewater reuse, groundwater monitoring, availing incentives, and policy changes, were identified as promising water management strategies to ensure irrigation sustainability. The success of these strategies will depend on the uptake and adoption by the producers in the affected agricultural regions.

scholarly journals Observations of the atmosphere and surface state over Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, using unmanned aerial systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Cassano ◽  
Mark W. Seefeldt ◽  
Scott Palo ◽  
Shelley L. Knuth ◽  
Alice C. Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ross Sea ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Systems ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Terra Nova Bay ◽  
Atmospheric State ◽  
Terra Nova ◽  
Aerial Systems

Abstract. In September 2012 five Aerosonde unmanned aircraft were used to make measurements of the atmospheric state over the Terra Nova Bay polynya, Antarctica, to explore the details of air–sea ice–ocean coupling. A total of 14 flights were completed in September 2012. Ten of the flight missions consisted of two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) sampling the atmosphere over Terra Nova Bay on 5 different days, with one UAS focusing on the downwind evolution of the air mass and a second UAS flying transects roughly perpendicular to the low-level winds. The data from these coordinated UAS flights provide a comprehensive three-dimensional data set of the atmospheric state (air temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind) and surface skin temperature over Terra Nova Bay. The remaining UAS flights during the September 2012 field campaign included two local flights near McMurdo Station for flight testing, a single UAS flight to Terra Nova Bay, and a single UAS flight over the Ross Ice Shelf and Ross Sea polynya. A data set containing the atmospheric and surface data as well as operational aircraft data have been submitted to the United States Antarctic Program Data Coordination Center (USAP-DCC, http://www.usap-data.org/) for free access (http://gcmd.nasa.gov/getdif.htm?NSF-ANT10-43657, doi:10.15784/600125).

Development of irrigation management services based on integration of innovative soil moisture monitoring and hydrological modelling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vassilios Pisinaras ◽  
Cosimo Brogi ◽  
Heye Bogena ◽  
Harrie-Jan Hendricks-Franssen ◽  
Olga Dombrowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Hydrological Modelling ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
Management Services ◽  
Soil Moisture Monitoring

<p>The H2020 ATLAS project (www.atlas-h2020.eu/) aims to develop an open, flexible and distributed platform that will provide services for the agricultural sector based on the seamless interconnection of sensors and machines. Two interconnected services that will be included in the platform are the soil moisture monitoring and the irrigation management services. The soil moisture monitoring service will integrate both invasive (wireless sensor network (SoilNet)) and non-invasive soil moisture monitoring methods (cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS)). Ultimately, a model will be developed that combines SoilNet and CRNS measurements to predict soil moisture time series. Soil water potential sensors will be incorporated as well.</p><p>Data provided by the above described service will be incorporated in an irrigation management service which will be based on hydrological modelling. The fully distributed, deterministic Community Land Model (CLM, version 5) will be applied which incorporates physically-based simulation of soil water balance and crop growth. Two different levels of application will be considered, namely the farm and watershed scale, which will be combined to weather forecast in order to provide irrigation scheduling advice. The farm scale application will take advantage of soil moisture monitoring data and provide farm specific irrigation scheduling, while the watershed scale application will provide a more generic irrigation advice based on the average cultivation practices. Furthermore, the CLM model will be coupled to a groundwater flow model in order to connect irrigation to groundwater availability. By doing so, it will be possible to support the efficient and sustainable groundwater management as well as competent water uses in an area that suffers from water scarcity.</p><p>These services will be implemented in the area of Pinios Hydrologic Observatory, located in central Greece. Three pilot orchards will be established introducing different soil moisture monitoring setups, while the boundaries of the Observatory will be used for the pilot implementation of irrigation management service on the watershed scale. Furthermore, two pilot vineyards located in northern Greece will be established in order to further test the services functionality on the farm scale.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of Soil Water Content Measurements with Capacitance Probes to Support Irrigation Scheduling in a “Red Beaut” Japanese Plum Orchard

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1757
Author(s):  
Sandra Millán ◽  
Carlos Campillo ◽  
Antonio Vivas ◽  
María José Moñino ◽  
Maria Henar Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Stem Water Potential ◽  
Japanese Plum

Advances in electromagnetic sensor technologies in recent years have made automated irrigation scheduling a reality through the use of state-of-the-art soil moisture sensing devices. However, correct sensor positioning and interpretation of the measurements are key to the successful implementation of these management systems. The aim of this study is to establish guidelines for soil moisture sensor placement to support irrigation scheduling, taking into account the physiological response of the plant. The experimental work was carried out in Vegas Bajas del Guadiana (Extremadura, Spain) on a drip-irrigated experimental orchard of the early-maturing Japanese plum cultivar “Red Beaut”. Two irrigation treatments were established: control and drying. The control treatment was scheduled to cover crop water needs. In the drying treatment, the fruit trees were irrigated as in control, except in certain periods (preharvest and postharvest) in which irrigation was suspended (drying cycles). Over 3 years (2015–2017), a series of plant parameters were analyzed in relation to the measurements provided by a battery of frequency domain reflectometry probes installed in different positions with respect to tree and dripper: midday stem water potential (Ψstem), sap flow, leaf stomatal conductance, net leaf photosynthesis and daily fraction of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation. After making a comparison of these measurements as indicators of plant water status, Ψstem was found to be the physiological parameter that detected water stress earliest. The drying cycles were very useful to select the probe positions that provided the best information for irrigation management and to establish a threshold in the different phases of the crop below which detrimental effects could be caused to the crop. With respect to the probes located closest to the drippers, a drop in the relative soil water content (RSWC) below 0.2 would not be advisable for “non-stress” scheduling in the preharvest period. When no deficit irrigation strategies are applied in the postharvest period, the criteria are similar to those of preharvest. However, the probes located between the dripper at 0.15 and 0.30 m depth provide information on moderate water stress if the RSWC values falls below 0.2. The severe tree water stress was detected below 0.1 RSWC in probes located at 60 cm depth from this same position.

scholarly journals sUAS Remote Sensing of Vineyard Evapotranspiration Quantifies Spatiotemporal Uncertainty in Satellite-Borne ET Estimates

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3251
Author(s):  
Michael Kalua ◽  
Anna M. Rallings ◽  
Lorenzo Booth ◽  
Josué Medellín-Azuara ◽  
Stefano Carpin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Observation System ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Systems ◽  
Sensing Platforms ◽  
Earth Observation System ◽  
Commercial Vineyard ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Aerial Systems

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) show promise in being able to collect high resolution spatiotemporal data over small extents. Use of such remote sensing platforms also show promise for quantifying uncertainty in more ubiquitous Earth Observation System (EOS) data, such as evapotranspiration and consumptive use of water in agricultural systems. This study compares measurements of evapotranspiration (ET) from a commercial vineyard in California using data collected from sUAS and EOS sources for 10 events over a growing season using multiple ET estimation methods. Results indicate that sUAS ET estimates that include non-canopy pixels are generally lower on average than EOS methods by >0.5 mm day−1. sUAS ET estimates that mask out non-canopy pixels are generally higher than EOS methods by <0.5 mm day−1. Masked sUAS ET estimates are less variable than unmasked sUAS and EOS ET estimates. This study indicates that limited deployment of sUAS can provide important estimates of uncertainty in EOS ET estimations for larger areas and to also improve irrigation management at a local scale.

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