Farm Level Optimal Water Management Assistant for Irrigation under Deficit

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Farm Level Optimal Water Management Assistant
for Irrigation under Deficit

• Jos Balendonck, Cecilia Stanghellini, Jochen
  Hemming
• WASAMED, BARI (IT), February 2007

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New systems and technologies for irrigation and
drainage
Pistoia (IT)
The Netherlands
Italy
Tahtali dam (TR)
United Kingdom
Spain
Litany River (LB)
Greece
Irbid (JO)
Co-ordinator Plant Research International BV.
(NL) EU contribution 1.021.000 Start date
Oct. 2006 Duration 3 years Partners 10
Partners (Universities/SMEs)
Test-sites
FP 6
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FP6 Water scarcity related test sites
Pistoia (IT)
Cuga (IT)
Almeria (ES)
Pinios (GR)
V. del Guadiana (ES)
Tahtali dam (TR)
Caia (PT)
Gediz (TR)
Haous (MA)
Rio Sonora (MX)
Litany River (LB)
Temixco (MX)
Irbid (JO)
Valle de Lurín (PE)
São Francisco river (BR)
FLOW-AID
PLEIADeS
MEDESOL
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Water Management trends

• Over irrigation in cases of high water
  availability
• Farmers take no attention to amount of irrigation
  water
• Water availability and irrigation water quality
  is gradually decreasing (deficit irrigation)
• Use of marginal water resources

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Objectives for FLOW-AID

• Sustainable irrigated agriculture
• Efficient use of available water
• Rational use of nutrients and marginal water
  resources
• Economically and socially accepted farming
• Tools for farmers to operate irrigation (under
  deficit)
• Improve irrigation practices by introducing new
  technologies
• Sensitive, simple and affordable tools to
  determine optimal amount
• Decision Support System for deficit irrigation
• Generally applicable in Mediterranean countries

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FLOW-AID system

• In view of the expected water availability
  (amount and quality) the system allocates
  available water among several farm zones and
  schedules irrigation for each individual zone.
• An expert system to assist farm zoning and crop
  planning
• A short-term irrigation scheduling module
• A crop response model for deficit irrigation
• A maintenance free tensiometer
• A wireless, low-power sensor and data network
• A smart real-time and remote irrigation
  controller

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System Layout
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Farm Zoning and Crop Planning Tool

• Optimal annual crop planning in view to water
  availability under local constraints
• Advising tool (used every season)
• MOPECO, model for a sustainable farm management
• Input farm data (economic, social), crops,
  sizes, machines, water constraints
• Output Crop plan
• Maximum Gross Margin
• Optimal Economic Water Use Efficiency

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Irrigation Scheduler DSS

• Off-line Farm-level planning tool
• Once every week
• Weather Forecasts
• Short term Water Availability
• Plant Status (Crop model)
• On-line (Plot) Irrigation Controller
• Continuously
• Sensor (water, EC) activated
• Parameterized Programs
• Compare with conventional irrigation practise
• water use efficiency
• yield

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Crop Response Model

• Crop yield versus salinity
• limited water conditions (quantity and quality)
• Model
• Experiments Literature
• Crop Database
• Software

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A Solid-State Tensiometer

• Replacement of hydraulic tensiometers
• Ceramic Water Sensor
• Hysteresis model
• pF-curve
• Calibration
• Installation Operation

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Smart Irrigation Controller and Sensors

• Sensors
• water content, EC, temperature, rain gauge,
  radiation
• Multiple valves
• water sources
• Parameterized Programming
• Stand-alone operation

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A Smart Wireless Sensor Network

• Dense, on-line data
• Multiple nodes
• Multiple sensors per node
• Robust in field
• Weather, handling, range, life time
• Low power (long battery life )
• Low cost
• Wireless (GSM link and/or ZigBee)
• Tests in potted plants

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Fertigation Controller

• Optimal control of nutrients, and choice of water
  source based upon
• Soil and Irrigation Water Sensors
• EC, water content
• Crop response model
• Crop Stage

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Data Collection (Wireless, Internet)
Internet
Remote Client (service, weather )
Local Server at farm
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Field tests

• Italy
• Container Crops
• Turkey
• Wells with leaching limitation
• Jordan
• Dual water quality irrigation
• Lebanon
• Pressurized versus surface irrigation
• Constraints
• irrigation structures, crop types, local water
  supplies, availability of water and water
  sources, in amount and quality, the local goals,
  and their complexity.

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Testsite Italy (Pistoia, Tuscany)

• Use of Cleaned Waste Water
• Nursery stock production
• Experimental Station
• Potted plants
• Wireless Sensor Network
• Dielectric tensiometer, EC
• Deficit (zero-drain) and dual water irrigation
• Increase awareness local stakeholders

Centro Sperimentale per il Vivaismo di Pistoia
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Turkey (Izmir, Tahtali Dam)

• Tahtali Dam
• Prevent the pollution -gt preservation area
• Regulations
• Greenhouses permitted using environmentally
  friendly systems
• No Leaching
• Economic viable greenhouse production
• Cucumber and lettuce
• Test-site at local farmer

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Jordan (Irbid, Jordan Valley)
IRBID

• Limited water resources
• Low water use efficiency
• Poor water management at farm level
• Jordan University of Agriculture Pilot Project
  Site
• Area 11.5 ha, Fruit trees, Oriental trees
• Treated Waste Water (2 types)
• Extended Aeration (1000m3/day)
• Rotating biological contactors (600m3/day)
• Objectives for Flow-Aid
• Sensitive factors ensuring the efficient
  irrigation scheduling at different water
  qualities
• Testing and verification new soil moisture
  sensors
• Technology transfer and practical guidelines for
  farmers

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Lebanon (Litany River, South Bekaa Valley)

• Pilot irrigation farms
• Fruit trees and vegetables
• Two types of Water sources
• 2000 ha, pressurized pipelines (sprinklers and
  tricklers)
• 4700 ha, furrow irrigation and other traditional
  surface irrigation
• Evaluation of Technology
• Deficit irrigation performance (water use
  efficiency)
• Yield and growth
• Socio-economic impact

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Thanks for yourattention


EC Project no. 036958 (FP6)