ISHS Acta Horticulturae 278: Symposium on Scheduling of Irrigation for Vegetable Crops under Field Condition
DESIGNING USER-FRIENDLY IRRIGATION SCHEDULING SOFTWARE |
| Author: | R.L. Snyder |
| Abstract:
Writing computer software to make an irrigation schedule is somewhat difficult. The difficulty in writing scheduling software arises because it must be easy to use and yet it must be complex enough to maintain accuracy. Information on soil water-holding characteristics, plant root exploration, and crop sensitivity to water stress must be input to determine acceptable depletions between irrigations. Crop coefficients and growth parameters are needed and they must be input in a manner that allows for differences in crop growth and in a format that allows for easy updating when new information becomes available. Scheduling software should help farmers determine the first and last irrigation dates, account for effective rainfall, and to identify inadequate irrigation methods. The ability to update soil water content data based on field measurements is necessary, and one should be able to change irrigation methods and efficiency during the season. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
