Following the establishment phase of the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project, a Rural R&D for Profit initiative, participants identified that one of the key barriers to farmers using scheduling tools is the diversity of tools available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, they expressed a need for a simple resource that could assist farmers and extension officers in the selection of an appropriate irrigation scheduling tool or tools for their needs. This project aimed to provide a summary of a range of irrigation scheduling tools that have been reviewed, tested or utilised by Smarter Irrigation for Profit participants.

Experience on the ground also found that if scheduling tools are to be adopted by industry, they need to be simple — simple to install, setup, use, interpret and respond to. Many of the tools tested required significant effort to learn how to use appropriately so as to achieve any potential benefit. Providing a simple way to compare and consider a range of tools to enable the selection of a suitable tool was proposed as the basis for this document.

It is envisaged that this resource will provide a starting point for others who need to review tools prior to implementing them on farm. This project is not endorsing any particular product. Any appropriate tool will need to be considered for the circumstances in which it is to be used.

Irrigation Scheduling

Crops that are kept within acceptable stress limits during their growth cycle have the potential to produce optimum yields of high quality. The aim of irrigation scheduling is to keep soil moisture within a desired range, usually between field capacity (full point) and a predetermined refill point for optimal growth.

The irrigation management decision-making process involves deciding “how much” to irrigate, at “what position” in the field, and “when” to irrigate by considering:

* the current water content of the soil

* the current rate of crop water use.

* the soil’s readily available water-holding (RAW) capacity and refill point

* the application rate (millimetres per hour) of the irrigation system. This allows the calculation of how many hours are needed to apply the required amount of water (in millimetres).

* the evenness of water application (uniformity) and efficiency of the irrigation equipment in your field

Irrigation scheduling tools seek to assist farmers to make informed decisions with either the current water content of the soil, the rate of crop water use, or both.

As a result the range of scheduling tools can be grouped into those that monitor the soil water content, those that use weather data to estimate how much water the plant has been consuming, and those that monitor the plant for water stress.Experience has shown that using multiple methods to assess the amount and timing of irrigations can improve scheduling decisions. The ability to manage and interpret data has improved considerably, and some scheduling tools are now combining a range of soil and plant data into one software platform in order to improve the ease the process of making irrigation scheduling.

This project provides a summary of tools used by participants in the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project grouped on the basis of measuring:

* soil water content

* weather based crop water use

* plant stress

* combinations of those above

Combination tools include the growing number of software delivery platforms that can connect to a range of different sensors and deliver data to web connected devices for growers and advisors.

This review has not sought to be comprehensive and cover every available tool, but instead focusses on those that have been used by participants in the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project. The following details the list of tools that have been included in this document. The project is not endorsing any particular product. Any appropriate tool will need to be considered for your own circumstances.