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WC Mn/Dakotas | When in doubt people tend to over irrigate. If you want to manage you need to measure and monitor. Data needs to be accurate and usable.
It is not cheap, but then neither is inputs or how many bushels you sell. It's alot easier to justify costs when irrigating more. I use my personal sensors in dryland and proving zones and how roots are different in those zones. There is alot of knowledge from 1 or 2 sensors in a single field that can be applied to other fields. Sensors are changing and there are more types. I think 1 or 2 complex sensors like a sentek then coupled with simpler less expensive ones placed more frequently is a very practical approach. Then if you see benefits and can use them to make money you transition to more sensors or more of the complex kinds.
So maybe you pick a representative field and put 1-3 sentek in various soil types or topography that have a sensor every 4" for 36-48". You learn how roots behave or water infiltration or water holding differs comparatively. Then you use virtual or a 2 sensor probe like cropx elsewhere and can fill in alot of the blanks from knowledge from senteks.
Lots of ways to tackle lots of issues. | |
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Soil moisture probes
