What I’ve Learned From Implementing Drip Irrigation On...
18
What I’ve Learned From Implementing Drip Irrigation On My Farm Nate Ray, DeJager Farms
Transcript of What I’ve Learned From Implementing Drip Irrigation On...
WhatI’veLearnedFromImplementingDripIrrigationOnMyFarm
NateRay,DeJagerFarms
Background• DeJagerFarms,Chowchilla,CA• 17,000acresofAlfalfa,Corn/Wheat,OtherCrops• 3,000acresonSDI/Microsprinklers(1,100Alfalfa)• StartedImplementingSDIin2009onalfalfaandhavebeen
expandingsince.• Ourgoalistohave50%ofourranchonalowvolumewater
efficienttechnology(SDI,pivot,micro,etc.)withinthenext10years.
• Growingconcernforgroundwaterrestrictionandreductionofsurfacewaterdeliverieswereinitiallythetwobiggestdrivers.
Topics
SiteSelectionIrrigationScheduling
CutSchedulingandYield/Quality
SiteSelection
• Littletonopreviouspopulationtostart• Littletonorefugesitesaroundsite.• Historicallyfloodirrigatedandconventionallytilled
isbeneficial
InstallationqProductQualityqCulturalPracticesqMinimizingTripsovertheField
FlowFlow
IrrigationScheduling
• Flowrate– Dictatesrun-times
• SoilType– Dictatesstrategy
• MeetingEt.– 85-90%ofgrasscrop
• PulseIrrigation– 3-8hoursetswithmore
frequency– Benefitfromautomation– Don’tjustirrigate,needto
irrigate“effectively”
IrrigationScheduling
5th Cutting30days 6thcutting28days
IrrigationScheduling
IrrigationSchedulingField#65IrrigationRecordMonth: September
Day Pump# NorthSide SouthSide Total AcreInches EffectiveRainfall 3StationHours Hours Hours Applied/Acre TotalInches Ave.ET(In.)
1 DW76 0 0 0.22 DW76 0 0 0.2073 DW76 0 0 0.2104 DW76 0 0 0.2235 DW76 0 0 0.1976 DW76 0 0 0.1777 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.2138 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.2209 DW76 0 0 0.24010 DW76 6 6 12 0.4416 0.21311 DW76 6 6 12 0.4416 0.20312 DW76 6 6 12 0.4416 0.21013 DW76 6 2 8 0.2944 0.19314 DW76 0 0 0.20315 DW76 0 0 0.20716 DW76 0 0 0.19717 DW76 0 0 0.19718 DW76 0 0 0.19719 DW76 0 0 0.19720 DW76 3.5 3.5 7 0.2576 0.18321 DW76 2 2 4 0.1472 0.17022 DW76 0 0 0.16023 DW76 0 0 0.18724 DW76 0 0 0.18725 DW76 0 0 0.17026 DW76 0 0 0.16327 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.17028 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.18029 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.16330 DW76 12 12 0.4416 0.167
Total 127 4.6736 0 5.8
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017DripTapeAc/InApplied 40.92 37.56 42.84 45.00 41.76 40.80 42.72 38.68
ControlFieldAc/InApplied 60.00 57.00 60.00 57.00 57.00 50.40
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
60.0
65.0
AC/IN
.OFWATER
APP
LIED
Dripvs.FloodWaterApplied
4th yearofdroughtconditions.
§ Averagewaterapplied(flood)– 57.1”§ Averagewaterapplied(SDI)– 41.3”§ Averagewaterapplied(diff)– 15.8”27.7%
YearlyRainfall
5.2 6.2
1.47
4.41
0.48
4.5 4.09 3.48
8.739.17
5.19
2.48
3.8
2.03
8.59
6.74
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17
Spring
Fall
13.93 15.37 6.66 6.89 4.28 6.53 12.68 10.22
CutScheduleandYield/Quality• CutSchedule– Goalis50-60%oftotalproductioncutforHighQuality– 7-8cuttingsperyear– CutDayRange24-35days– SampleCutdays
– 1st – Chopped(Apr.1st)– 2nd – 33days(MC)– 3rd – 27days(MC)– 4th – 35days(DC)– 5th – 35days(DC)– 6th – 24days(MC)– 7th – 30days(MC)– 8th – 35days(chopped)
CutScheduleandYield/Quality
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017DripTapeTon/Acre 12.13 12.33 11.66 10.14 10.58 10.90 9.96 9.77
ControlFieldTon/Acre 9.42 9.68 9.27 8.31 7.69 7.07
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.5
10.0
10.5
11.0
11.5
12.0
12.5
13.0Tons/Acre
DripTapevs.FloodIrrigation
CutScheduleandYield/Quality
• Yield/Quality– Yield• Increasingyieldgapovertime
– %increaseinyear4=26%– %increaseinyear6=32%
• YieldSpikefromyear4-6dueto:– Changeincutscheduletowardmanagingforstandlongevity– Supplementingcommercialfertilizerasmineralizationstartedtodecline.
CutScheduleandYield/Quality
• Yield/Quality– Quality
• ThereisasharperdecliningcorrelationinqualityforSDIalfalfafieldsduetomeetingEtandfertilitydemandsmoreeasily.
• Somestrategieshavehelpedwiththisproblem– Turningwateroffearlierbeforecuttingtoslightlyinducestress– Fertilizingaheadoflongerdaycuttingsinsteadofduringqualitycuttings
SDITwinRowCornPlanting40”
12”
7-8”
28”
- HigherPlantPopulation- HigherProduction- BetterQuality- LessCompetition- ClosertoDripTape
WhatI’veLearnedFromImplementingDripIrrigationOnMyFarm
NateRay,DeJagerFarms
