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INZ CONFERENCE 2014DATA MANAGEMENT FOR SMART IRRIGATION

Jemma Mackenzie – Agri Optics NZ Ltd

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SMART Irrigation

• It’s about taking what we do currently and doing it SMARTER

• Putting the RIGHT INPUT in the RIGHT PLACE at the RIGHT TIME in the RIGHT AMOUNT and in the RIGHT MANNER

• Utilising technology to achieve more ‘precise’ irrigation practices

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What’s in the toolkit?• GPS – Trimble, John Deere, Topcon, Leica, Raven etc.

• EM Surveying – EM38 & DualEM

• Topographic Surveying – DEM, Slope, Aspect, Landscape Change etc

• Variable Rate Irrigation – Precision Irrigation, PGGW/IQ, Valley, Reinke etc

• Data Management – tying all the info together

• Yield Maps – all new combines equipped, often cheap upgrade!

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It’s all about building up the base data picture of what’s

happening on your farm

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Data Sources

Topography featuresEM Surveying

Soil Moisture Probes Weather Stations

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EM SURVEYING

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What is EM Surveying?• A very important layer!

• A map to quantify differences in ‘soil type’ across an area

• Used to create irrigation zones

• Can get accurate topography data at the same time

• No physical contact with the soil

• Measures up to 0-75cm and 0-150cm simultaneously

EM 0-60cm

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• EM38 generates a constant magnetic field that penetrates into the soil profile.

• Measures the bulk electrical conductivity of the soil profile.

• Responds to changes in relative amounts of:– Clay.– Salts (Electrolytes).– Rock.– Water.

• No physical contact with the soil.• Vertical mode to 1.5m, Horizontal mode to

0.75m.

EM38 – How it Works.

What is EM Surveying?

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What do you get from an EM Survey?

• A full report on differences in soil variability and topography features

• A better understanding of your soils and property

• Areas identified for closer monitoring and potential VRI zones

EM 0-60cm EM 0-135cm

Elevation Landscape Change

Slope Aspect

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• Neutron probes placed in different soil zones to enable fine tuning of management

• More than 100mm of WHC variation so need different management

EM Mapping for Irrigation Management

Full Point (mm)

Stress Point (mm)

Zone Area

Site 1 187 139.5 0.6

Site 2 233 178 3.0

Site 3 228 178 5.4

Site 4 232 178 7.2

Site 5 181 134 3.6

Site 6 106 70 0.6

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EM Mapping for Irrigation Management cont.

10/17

/2012

10/24

/2012

10/31

/2012

11/7/

2012

11/14

/2012

11/21

/2012

11/28

/2012

12/5/

2012

12/12

/2012

12/19

/2012

12/26

/2012

1/2/20

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1/9/20

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1/16/2

013

1/23/2

013

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Soil Moisture - 0-300mm Profile - 17/10/12 onwards

Site 1Site 2Site 3Site 4Site 5Site 6

Neutron Probe Reading Date

Ava

ilabl

e W

ater

in to

p 0-

300m

m

prof

ile (m

m)

Sites 1, 4 and 5 had highest yields in 2012 Anticipated that sites 2 and 3 would have highest yield due to heaviest soils Over-watering occurred causing a yield penalty in zones 2 & 3 Loss of yield 3.71t/ha or $593/ha when averaged across the whole field

VARIABLE RATE IRRIGATION HAS BEEN APPLIED IN 2012 TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM!!

2012/13 & 2013/14 yields were considerably less variable & overwatering eliminated

EM Mapping for Irrigation Management cont.

Full Point (mm)

Stress Point (mm)

2012 Wheat Yield (t/ha)

EM 0.75m (ms/m)

EM 1.5m (ms/m) Zone Area

Site 1 187 139.5 17.56 4.84 10.95 0.6

Site 2 233 178 12.31 9.28 16.30 3.0

Site 3 228 178 13.26 8.18 15.02 5.4

Site 4 232 178 15.58 7.85 14.71 7.2

Site 5 181 134 16.48 5.18 12.52 3.6

Site 6 106 70 10.00 3.80 10.32 0.6

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TOPO MAPPING

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EM vs. Slope

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EM vs. Slope & Probe Locations

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SOIL MOISTURE DATA

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Soil Moisture Data• Any data better than none

• Helps make future management decision not only this season but for infrastructure development ahead

• Place probes in known soil types

• Ideally more than one per farm or even one per crop

• Use soil moisture data to inform not only irrigation scheduling but also other inputs such as fert timing etc

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Telemetered Data

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Telemetered Data

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WEATHER DATA

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Weather Data & On-Farm Measurement

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Weather Data & On-Farm Measurement

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Weather Data & On-Farm Measurement

Lysimeter - ECan Eddy Co-variance Tower - NIWA

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VARIABLE RATE IRRIGATION DATA

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As-applied data

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Flow Rates & Volume

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DATA MANAGEMENTTying it all together, increasing efficiency, giving accountability and traceability in an ever changing environment.

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Data Rich Farming• All kinds of data available on farm today• Helps make decisions• Can start to use map nutrient & water input on a spatial

level for potential future use in models• Or more educated paddock or farm averages • Starts to fine tune your management decisions and put $$

$ around what your doing

• The more data the more control you have in your business!

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Summary• There is a wide range of data available for smarter

irrigating today – don’t wait!

• Using the core data elements – soil type, topography, soil moisture, weather - will fine tune your irrigation mangement & increase your long term business vaibility and environmental sustainability

• Utilising ‘Smart Irrigation’ techniques is the way to move New Zealand’s agriculture industry forward progressively into the 21st century

QUESTIONS?