In recent agricultural seasons, many areas of the Po plain have experienced periods of water scarcity; to cope with this situation, farmers are introducing water saving technologies which would be more effective if supported by appropriate tools. Specifically, agro-hydrological models and soil moisture probes can support farmers in the irrigation management. In this study, an agro-hydrological model and soil water content measurements were used to optimize the water management in two irrigation sectors char-acterised by different soils under a center-pivot in a maize farm. When compared to the management operated by the farmer, a water use reduction of 17 and 23% was achieved in the coarse and fine soil sectors, respective-ly; this water saving was obtained respecting the constraints imposed by the farmer. The same modelling approach, applied to simulate variable rate irri-gation for all the sprinkler systems of the farm (covering about 300 ha) in the period 2016-2020, resulted in an average water saving of 18%. This translates to a proportional energy saving at the farm level.
Assessing potential water savings implementing variable rate sprinkler irrigation in a maize farm in northern Italy / A. Mayer, B. Ortuani, A. Facchi. ((Intervento presentato al convegno Biosystems engineering towards the green deal, Improving the resilience of agriculture, forestry and food systems in the post-Covid era tenutosi a Palermo nel 2022.
Assessing potential water savings implementing variable rate sprinkler irrigation in a maize farm in northern Italy
A. Mayer;B. Ortuani;A. Facchi
2022
Abstract
In recent agricultural seasons, many areas of the Po plain have experienced periods of water scarcity; to cope with this situation, farmers are introducing water saving technologies which would be more effective if supported by appropriate tools. Specifically, agro-hydrological models and soil moisture probes can support farmers in the irrigation management. In this study, an agro-hydrological model and soil water content measurements were used to optimize the water management in two irrigation sectors char-acterised by different soils under a center-pivot in a maize farm. When compared to the management operated by the farmer, a water use reduction of 17 and 23% was achieved in the coarse and fine soil sectors, respective-ly; this water saving was obtained respecting the constraints imposed by the farmer. The same modelling approach, applied to simulate variable rate irri-gation for all the sprinkler systems of the farm (covering about 300 ha) in the period 2016-2020, resulted in an average water saving of 18%. This translates to a proportional energy saving at the farm level.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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