Conservation Water and Nitrogen Using New Sensor, Control System, and Information Technology to Improve On-farm Irrigation Scheduling in the Delmarva Peninsula

The Delmarva Peninsula is a primary agricultural region within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and is likely a major contributor to water quality degradation of both the Chesapeake Bay and the inland bays of Delaware to the east. Agriculture is an important industry on the peninsula, and irrigated agriculture is a major user of its water resources. However, competition with and pressure from other land uses and interests is pressuring irrigated agriculture to manage water resources more efficiently in terms of both quantity and environmental impact. Scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) can help producers improve irrigation management by systematically integrating local factors into a water management system that forecasts irrigation needs for a specific field. Research on SIS began more than 50 years ago, but despite its documented benefits, it has not been widely adopted by producers. Surveys indicate that SIS has had a low adoption rate because producers are hesitant to adopt new practices if they are not easy to implement and understand. This project will encourage widespread adoption of SIS by integrating SIS technology into the irrigation system making information accessible where the decisions are made, right at the irrigation control point. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate such a system, and to encourage its widespread adoption among agricultural producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.