Summary

In pivot irrigation, farmers irrigate an entire field in a homogenous way. This is based on a generic average water consumption value for each type of plant along with their estimation of the environmental conditions (e.g. humidity, temperature). 

To enable farmers to carry out more efficient irrigation (and fertilisation), an Operational Group (OG) was set up to study the soil and vegetative behaviour in the field, develop and try out irrigation strategies and measure the results using production maps.

Results

The project enables farmers to irrigate and fertilise more efficiently on the basis of information and tailored advice, taking into consideration the soil characteristics, water reserves in the soil and the crop in question (vegetative vigour).