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An Irrigation Crash Course: How to Calculate Your Orchards Water Needs

David Doll UCCE Merced Carolyn Debuse David Doll 1-19-2011 UC Farm Advisor, UC Farm Advisor, North San Joaquin Yolo/Solano County Valley Almond Day Merced County

Irrigation scheduling
How much water does your crop need this irrigation?
Evapotranspiration
(ET0 = ETC x KC /irrigation efficiency)

How much water is being applied per irrigation set? Measure


Flow meter Irrigation efficiency testing Coffee can test

Water Export of the Orchard


Transpiration needed for plant growth Evaporation Due to environmental conditions Runoff/ Groundwater Recharge Due to over-application

Two (official) ways to schedule irrigation


Apply water to replace Apply water in an estimate to meet demand water used that week
1. Can use historical ET values for the Sacramento Valley 2. Needs to be adjusted if under-applied 3. Over-application may be lost to deep percolation 1. Can use real time CIMIS ET values and calculate crop use

2. Can use historical ET values for the Sacramento Valley 3. Over application may be lost to deep percolation

How do we calculate water use?


Evapo-transpiration of the Known, reference crop (grass) Variable

ETc = ETo x kc
Evapo-transpiration of the Crop of Interest (almonds)
Unknown

Crop Coefficient ratio of water need of crop v/s water Known,need of grass
Fixed

How do we figure out Eto?


1). CIMIS

How do we figure out Eto?


1). CIMIS

What about the crop coefficient?


Research has been done to determine this:
Almond Orchard Dec/ Feb Mar Apr May June/Jul Sept Kc by Month Jan y/Aug With cover Crop 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.95 1.05 1.15 1.10 Oct Nov

0.90 0.85

Without Cover Crop

0.50 0.70 0.85

0.90

0.80

0.75 0.65

The Almond Production Manual, handout in the back

Calculating Orchard Water Use


Week ETo for the Almond Kc week (Grass for the month water use) of May provided by CIMIS 1.65 1.05 1.20 1.39 1.19 0.72 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 ETc for the week (water lost from the orchard) 1.74 1.26 1.46 1.25 0.76 Cumulative total of water use by the Almond Orchard w/ cover crop 1.74 1.26 + 1.74 = 3 3 + 1.46 = 4.46 4.46 + 1.25 = 5.71 5.71 + 0.76 = 6.47

May 1st7th 8th - 14th 15th- 21st 22nd-28th 29th- 31st

How do we calculate a water application?


We now know Etc, but how much do we need to apply to each tree?
Water use (Gals/day) = crop spacing (ft2) x ET (In/day) x 0.623 Example: ET is 0.25 in/day, spacing is 22 x 18 Tree Crop spacing 22x18 = 396 ft2 Water use per tree = 396 x 0.25 x 0.623 = 61.68 gallons/day

Thats it? WellNo


Take into account water holding capacity

Soil water holding capacity


Field capacity =water remaining in the soil after free water from rain or irrigation has drained out ( 3-4 days) Permanent wilting point= amount of water still left in the soil that the plant can not absorb

Available water= Field capacity-permanent wilting point= usable water for plant

Soil water holding capacity

Field Capacity

Allowable depletion Available water

50% Permanent wilting point

Root Zone
Rooting zone must be taken in to consideration

2 feet 4.5 foot

Available water
Type of Soil Very Course to course texture sand Moderately course sandy loams Medium textured- fine sandy loam to silty clay loam Fine and very fine- silty clay to clay Peats and mucks Range in/ft Average in/ft

0.5 to1.00
1.00 to 1.50 1.25 to 1.75 1.50 to 2.50 2.00 to 3.00

0.75
1.25 1.50 2.00 2.50

Estimate the available water and multiply by rooting depth


Example: yolo silty clay loam at field capacity= 1.50 in/ft x 5 ft rooting depth= 7. 5 in available water to tree Allowable depletion= 3.75 in

Water Holding Capacity


Soil Surface
1"-12" 13"-24"

Soil Texture

Depth in Feet
1 1

Available Available Water Holding Ca water in each pacity (From soil layer (in) Table 3) 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.8

Sand Loamy Sand

25-42"

Sandy Loam

1.5

1.0 Total:

1.5 2.9

Allowable Depletion: 1.45

Needs to be determined once in orchards life.

So, That has to be it? WellNo


Take into irrigation system inefficiency
System Basin/Flood Furrow Ea (%) 65 - 80 65-75

Solid Set Sprinkler Micro-sprinkler


Drip

75-85 85-90
90-95

Slightly more water will be needed to ensure that the trees receive adequate water

How do we calculate water use?

ETc =

ETo x kc Ea

If total more than WHC, than irrigate more frequently to match water applied with WHC

Bringing It All Together: The Weather


Date 7/3/2011 7/4 7/5 7/6 7/7 7/8 7/9 TOTAL Eto (in) 0.27 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.28 0.26 0.26 1.87 Precip (in) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Max Air 104.1 108.2 103.9 94.7 91.6 94.2 86.5 Min Air 82.1 82.6 82.9 79.8 76.6 77.8 71.5

CIMIS: Nicolaus Station 30, Week of July 3rd, 2011

Bringing It All Together: The Site

Bringing It All Together: The Site

Bringing It All Together: The Site

Bringing It All Together: The Site


Soil Profile Depth 0 12 13 20 21 27 28 36 37 42 Soil Type Loamy Fine Sand Sandy Loam Sandy Loam Fine Sandy Loam Fine Sandy Loam WHC (Inches/Foot) 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.7 Available Water 1.0 * 1.2 = 1.2 0.67 * 1.3 = 0.87 0.58 * 1.4 = 0.82 0.75 * 1.7 = 1.26 0.6 * 1.7 = 0.85 TOTAL: 5.00

5.00 of AWHC * 50% Depletion Percentage = 2.50 of Usable, Refillable Water

Bringing It All Together: Scenario 1


Mature 22 x 18, Nonpareil, Aldridge, Sonora on P/A Hybrid Microsprinkler, 14 pattern @ 10 GPA Tested, highly uniform irrigation distribution with efficiency rated at 93%

Bringing It All Together: Scenario 1


ETc:
(1.87 inches*1.15)/0.93 = 2.31 inches

AWHC:
2.50 inches (checks out!)

Water Use per week:


(396)(0.623)(2.31)=570 gallons/week

Pump Time:
570 gallons/week*Hour/10 gallon = 57 Hours/Week

Bringing It All Together: Scenario 2


Mature 22 x 18, Nonpareil, Aldridge, Sonora on P/A Hybrid Double Line Drip, 0.5 gallons/emitter, Emitter every 36 inches, 12 emitters/tree Tested, highly uniform irrigation distribution with efficiency rated at 95%

Bringing It All Together: Scenario 2


ETc:
(1.87 inches*1.15)/0.95 = 2.26 inches

AWHC:
2.50 inches (checks out!)

Water Use per week:


(396)(0.623)(2.26)=557 gallons/week

Pump Time:
557 gallons/week*Hour/(12 emitters*0.5 GPH) = 93 Hours/Week

Irrigation scheduling
How much water does your crop need this irrigation?
Evapotranspiration
(ET0 x ETC x irrigation efficiency)

How much water is being applied per irrigation set? Measure


Flow meter Irrigation efficiency testing Coffee can test

Part 2: Recommended Technology and Its Use for Irrigation DecisionMaking

Irrigation scheduling
When should you start irrigation and how much to apply and how effective is it? Soil moisture monitoring Plant based monitoring

Soil Monitoring
Water holding capacity of soil
Available water Root zone

Soil Monitoring
Ways to monitor soil
Soil moisture (water content)
Hand feel Neutron probe Capacitance probe

Soil tension (centibars)


Resistance blocks Tensiometer

Soil Monitoring
Direct soil moisture by feel

Dry mediumtextured soil


Wet mediumtextured soil

Soil Monitoring
Direct soil moisture by feel Needs a well practiced hand Good way to learn your soil types and their water holding ability Testing your other methods Simplest tools required
Shovel Soil augur

Con: takes a long time and often do not go to deepest rooting depths

Soil Monitoring
Soil tension
Definition: measures the surface tension that the water is held to the soil The tension increases as soils dry, plants spend more energy Measurement unit centibars (cb) Types
Tensiometer Resistance blocks

Soil Monitoring
Tensiometer

Soil Monitoring
Tensiometer
Pros:
no power needed Not affected by salinity Easy to install Not expensive

Cons:
Requires maintenance Not good for dry soil- can lose soil contact Manually read and keep records

Soil Monitoring
Modified electrical resistance
Similar to the gypsum blocks but now are a composite

Soil Monitoring
Reading Soil Tension
Use the following readings as a general guideline: 0-10 Centibars = Saturated soil 10-30 Centibars = Soil is adequately wet (except coarse sands, which are beginning to lose water) 30-60 Centibars = Usual range for irrigation (most soils) 60-100 Centibars = Usual range for irrigation in heavy clay 100-200 Centibars = Soil is becoming dangerously dry for maximum production. Proceed with caution!

http://www.irrometer.com

Water mark automated data

Watermark Data Collected Automatically

40

Soil Monitoring
Modified electrical resistance
Pros No maintenance Least cost Can have many sensors going different depths and areas Possible to use data loggers or remotely Easy hand held meter option Easy to install

Cons Can have problems contacting soil in course textures Can be affected by salinity Need to periodically replace them (3-4 years)

Soil Monitoring
Actual water content Neutron probe

Sample Neutron Probe Data


Soil Depth inches 8 18 Field Capacity (in/ft) 3.4 3.6 Wilting Point (in/ft) 1.7 1.8 June 1 (in/ft) 2.5 2.8 June 1 (%) Depleted 53 44 June 8 (in/ft) 1.9 2.2 June 8 (%) Depleted 88 77

30
42

3.2
3.2

1.6
1.6

3.0
3.2

13
0

2.8
3.1

24
6

54
Total (in/5 ft) % Depleted Rootzone

3.2 16.6

1.6 8.3

3.2 14.7

0 ------

3.2 13.0

0 -----

100

22

------

43

-----

43

Sample Neutron Probe Data


10.00

Inches Water per 3-foot root zone

9.50 9.00

Field Capacity

8.50 8.00 7.50 7.00


6.50 6.00

Wilting Point
10/11 5/10 5/24 8/16 8/30
4/26 6/21 7/19 9/13 9/27

7/5

6/7

Date 2002
Low Stress Plots Mild Stress Moderate Stress
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8/2

Soil Monitoring
Neutron probe Pros:
Adapts to many soil types Reads actual water content Only need to install access tubes Reads multiple depths in one tube Need radiation license to use Needs to be calibrated to soil type Reading includes water that is not free for plant use Not possible to automate Dependent on consultant

Cons:

Dielectric Soil Moisture Sensors


Two Dielectric Methods Capacitance probes - frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) Time domain reflectometry (TDR) Many sensors available
EnviroSmart Irrimax Aquacheck C-probe Trase Trime ThetaProbe

46

General Dielectric Concept


Measure dielectric constant or ability of a material to establish an electrical field
Air dielectric constant of 1 Dry soil dielectric constant of 3 to 5 Water dielectric constant of about 80 Change in dielectric constant for soil indicates change in soil moisture More moisture increases the dielectric constant or the ability of the soil to concentrate the electrical field

47

Soil Monitoring

49

Soil Monitoring
Dielectric sensors Pros:
Increased accuracy with calibration to soil type Reads actual water content Able to automate readings

Cons:
Complicated electronics Requires power Some may be effected by salts or heavy soils Errors can occur with loss of soil contact with sensor

Plant Based monitoring


Pressure chamber

Midday Stem Water Potential (MSWP) or (SWP)- measures resistance in bars

Take reading between 12-3 pm Bag shaded leaf near trunk Wait 15 minutes before reading Only remove one leaf at a time Record time and temp for baseline reading

Plant Based Monitoring


Baseline: it is the reading that would occur on a well watered tree at that temperature (F) and percent relative humidity (RH%) Each reading taken is compared to the baseline

Baseline

Example: 90F @ 30%RH= baseline of -8.1 bars

Plant Based Monitoring


Irrigation decisions Mature trees- allow SWP to drop 1-2 bars below baseline before irrigating Do not irrigate in spring until SWP is below baseline (3-4 bars) Irrigate enough to bring SWP back to near baseline (-7 to -8 bars) Young trees should be kept near baseline to promote growth

Using SWP to Schedule Irrigation


0

-10

-20

-30

10/13

10/23

11/12

-4.0

-6.0
-8.0 Midday Stem Water Potential (-bars) -10.0 -12.0 -14.0

-16.0
-18.0 -20.0 -22.0 -24.0

-26.0
-28.0 -30.0
Orchard Reading Predicted reading when fully irrigated

11/22

Midday Stem Water Potential Levels in C8 Almond Orchard at Surface Renewal Location, 2010. .
3/17
2/15 2/25 3/27 4/16 4/26 5/16 5/26 6/15 6/25 7/15 7/25 8/14 8/24 9/13 9/23 10/3 11/2

5/6

3/7

4/6

6/5

7/5

8/4

9/3

Plant Based Monitoring


Pros:
Soil type does not affect reading Salinity does not effect reading Can monitor in any area of the orchard No installation

Cons:
Time consuming Need trained personnel

Putting the tools to work


1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Track ET Monitor soil moisture Collect pressure chamber readings Irrigate Checking results

Getting Help
WaterRight.org online tool for ET Irrigation Scheduling (Fresno State) The California Microirrigation Pocket Guide, available at your local NRCS office Local Farm Advisor UC IPM Guide

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