IRRIGATl,N-MART we SAVVY irrigation

What 'S aa IRR.OMmR?

When? Where? an,d How Much·? Is· the soil too ·wet . ,W • or too dry?

These are crttical questions growers must ask themselves when soheduling irrigation. lln recent years! other issues such as water availability and environmental concerns as well as pest and disease mlti.gatton conoerns have brought additional burdens to scheduling declsions. There are many ways 10 answer these, questions some comp:licatedl andexpensive f some simple and affordable.

VVhile there are several methods to measure soil moisture status, many growers, scientists and irrigation consultants preier the simplicity and accuracy of a tensiometer {or ;1RROMETEH). The logric is simple IRROMETERs are affordable easy to use and leave no d:oubt that you are using a very accurate todl to improve sc:heduling efficiency.

Tensiome1:ers were first dev,eloped by researchers in the ear1y 20th century and �he :IRROMETER was introduced commercially in 1951. The instrument has a sealed water fi!lled plastic tube with a porous, ceramic tip that al'.lows the exohange of water between the .IRROMET

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E'R and he soil. Its gauge is calibrated for so.ill water tension in centibars {cb) andkitopascals (kPa}.

Heres how it works as soil dries, water is drawn out of the ,instrument. Rain or irrtga1ion reverses this action. A higher tension reading 'ndicates drier soil; a lower read'ing indicates wetter soil. In ,effect, the IRROM:ETER shows how hard the p ant is working!

The l1!RROMETER requires no calibration and works in all soil types. Site selection, installatiio:n and maintenanoe are simple. The design and high-grade materials make the IRIROIMETER both accurate and durable. Manymodels are available in several lengths to suit all crop and soil types. We also offer output options that can automate peripheral equ'pment, colllect data automatically and even allow viewing1 of soil moisture data at remotelocations or on the Internet.

'Ibis two .IRR.(ll� sensing staticn s1:o,,e a wet rea:w:g (30 cbl at t1e lo,,.e;­d!!ph .!ll'rl ai dry l'.S!ll:fu:g· (60 CD} at th! i;:halJa,,,er ci:pt.h. Thel:efm.-e, a filDrt � is nee:i:d.

,Sim�e in desig�, bat

sapbislicated in results, IRROMETER is the solution to your i«igatian scheduling needs!

Clasure - Lar,ge cap for easy operation and belter control. Remove-s for filling r,eservoir. Submerged valve ,g ve-s a ·pos!tive leak-proof stial.

Rese u r - Holds, a reserve supply of fituid sufficient for several irrigation cycles under typical operating conditions. unscrew,ing cap. part wav releases air and fills tube· to �pl�e 'fluid 11ost by ,dryfng soil

Cemmic1ip-Ma111y lim� the stmngth of conventional tips. lit is porous to give quia'k respm1se, to variations n soil moish!r:e.

HennetlcaHy Sea ed ,Gauge -Accuracy and ong life are ,er1su11ed by a hermetfcally sealed neoprene cover. The mol'cfed-in ,dia:iJllr�m 'keeps dirt and moim111re out and compensates for variations in1 mmperruure and ba,.ometric pr,eSSA:Jre,

Air-Free 1Gauge �hamber -The water seal prevents air from ,ante.ring gau!}e, so gaufje ,and chamber mma:in full regru'd!less ,of fl1uid level! in imrum,ent

Ceram,c to

IRRO EHR Bod¥ - Consmreted of tough Bufyiate plastic impervious to attack by soil chemicals and elecm1lysils.

P astic­Oonnections are permalilently leal<proof.

Model: R

• 0-100 cb {kPa) range gauge,

• Fixed ceramic lip Is an economical chtJice

• Recommeooed for general use in .most Sf)ilS wlth roK:. fieldand tree crops managed between 104J0 cb (kPa)

Model SR

IRROMEl'.ERs -

Aire, avaJlab e in sltndarcl

l�mgths o,f 6. 12, 16 24 36,

48 & 60 inches (15,,, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 &

150,crn).

Custom lengths aJso

,available.

ModeltG •' 0-100 cb {kPa) raf1{le gauge

• Fixed ceramic tip Is .anewt1.omical choh:e,

• Recommended tot turfappllcatlons reJIUJtfng nea,horizontal placemen.t

• fJ.. 100' cb {l(P:a) range gauge

• Replaceable ceramic ti,p ;s oosily serviced in ,thB field

• Reoommend.6€1 for general tJSe In most· s-oifs with row. tf'eldand tree crops managed between 10'-80 ,dJ (kPa)

1Model s

• ,0- 100' ,Gb (k.P:a) r:an.ge googe

• Interchangeable �emmlc Extension T,ps. allow for easy,change of instroment te11gth'

• Recommended' for general use in most SOllS with row,field and tree crops managed between t0"80 ,Gb (kPa)

Model LT

• 0-40 cb (kPaJ mn-ge gauge

• Replaceable "(Juick�Flo"ceramic tip is extta poml/8 forqwt-ker respoose to d,ymg· s.ol1

• Recommemled for veryc-oarse soils or mm-soilgrowir,g medias BildCf:OPS managed between0-30 Cb (I.Pa)

Mod'el MLT ,11, ,tJ.40 ,r;b (kl'a} ,ange

gauge •' .Body· TiJJ' assembly with

".Qufck ... Ffg" ceramic 'lip can be· ,easily replaced in me ,field

• Compact sil8 is deslg_ned for small,containers ,wfth my· coarse 501/s .r,rnon-soil growing media$ and plantsmanaged belwfln 0-30 cb (kPaJ'

llnigation Scheduling will ·Ille IIR·OMEIEI

IRIROMETER instruments measure soil moisturestatus in centibars (db) and kilopascals ('kPa) of soil wa er tension This value represents the energy a plants root system uses to draw water fiolTI the soil. The key element in proper soil moisture is · he operator. Taking the ·time to interpret your sensor r,eadings vvill give you a Vivid picture of what is happenrng with the soil moisture

lJiH.erent soils bold waler to different tensicns.

in the root system of your crop, Usua!ty 2-3 readings between · rrigations are sufficient. Oharli g your

rea.dings will show you exactly how quickly (or slowly) your soil moisture is being depleted. Displaying the ireadings on a graph makes ,t eas' er to see the trends, thereby making interpretation simpler.

Perhaps the most imp(lrtant soil moisture reading is the difference between todays reading and that of 3·5 days ago. lha Is to say how quickty is the reading going up? A s10iN Increase means the soil is drying out slowly: But a big j mp means the soil is losing water verv rapidly. A faster rate of inorease means the crop is beginnlng to work harder to extract water from the soil and may start to stress .. By analyzi g such trends in ·lihe readings, you wm determine WHEN to inigate.

By using sensors at two or more ,depths in he root system, you can rJetermine HOW 1M UC!H water to appty. If the shallow sensor shows a rap"dly · creasing reading, but the deep sensor shows adequate moisture, you can run a short irrigation cycle as you only need to rnplenlsh the shallow roots. ll lhe deep sensor also shows a dry condition, , en a longer f rrigation is needed to fully re-wet the entire mot zone. The readlngs you take after an irrigation or rainfall event wi!I show you exac ly how ,effective that water application was .. Dlfferences in orops, soils and c1fmate make e/t/ery installation unique. Typically a sensing station fNery 10 to 20 acres (4-8, hectares) provides adequate data.

The· mustrafion aboVae provides a general guideline of bow 10 Interpret soil .moisture values for various soil types.

This ,chart .illustrates the Impact that irrigation run .Ume .has on a shallow placed

l:RROMETEfl (black line) as well as a· deeper placed .instrument (�hits line).,

Your awn experience,

eomt»ned with a greater

Ullderslamling of soil

moisture lrends will

soon have .JOU .IH'lldlclng'

highly efficient "inigalion la need"

sclredul"-1·

Short I hrlgatlon

Ssrvloe Units To actlieve consistent and accuraie reacfings, entrapped air must be removed horn the IRROMET

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ER instrument during initial lns1allation and periodically during use. Our Service Unit. kits include a hand vacuum pump used to ,evacuate· air from the instrument. Every operator of an IIRROMETER shoold have at least one Service Unlt avaHable (onlly one Is needed for muttiple instrumenls),. The Standard Servfoe Unit (#1 001) works for most applications, while tt,,e optional Test Pump Service Unit {#1002 includes a test gauge on the vacuum pump for validating instrument accuracy Kils include the appropriate pump as well as a pad of chart forms, small bottle of IRROMIETIER Fluid, and a ,copy of the IRROMETER Moisture Indicator Reference Book. 11002

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Alltomalle .IMta Monitoring Appl/callons' Dataloggers automatically monitor and ,oolleci dala.. Tots da a is

downloaded and displayed in graph fotm on a oomputer. Crilicall irrigation decisions can be made easier by viewlng1

moisture readi gs shown on a graph. The·

,Qpflan "E"' -

EIM10nlo Gau,;; "E" SerilltS Eleclroll c Gauges are deslgood for use on the IRROMETER lo lrldlc-ate soil

molslure lmls eteclroofcaOy as 'l'!'ell as. vfSllalty. AA analog magnellc degree seooor

pl'O\iid,es a volta-Qe ou1pu! :�oporliooal to the needle, reading on tl'le ga�e.

Contact us a·bout Remote, Data Access via the Internet

Oulpul Op · ons below oorwerl an IRR.OMHER reading 'lo an electric signal tor use willl many dataJoggers, "nciuding 1he WATERMARK Mooltor or Wireless Monitor.

Option "HSU"·-Remote Sensing ,Unll. "RSU'' Se es Remote Sensing Unils are designed Jor use oo II

RROMl:TERs lo indicale so� moisture levels by oorwanirig the rea ng to a �20 mA loop et:11Tent slgMI.

Alllomallc .SW/tch/ng Appllcallons Toe, IIAIAOMETER Autcmallc Gauge is a switch lhait automates an electrical accessory: Rotating lhe wedge shaped selector sets the switch to Ille desired moisture value. Dry condirlons I close the swlloh arnl wet oorriditions will open lhe swi ch, wti 'ch ooufd aciivate a_11 fn'igalicm vatve,, signal a lime clock or warning devica.

(Jplkm ",ID - AulDmaJ.it: GaU961

"'A" Seri&s Auloma.tic Gaug,&S are designed for use on the I R:ROMETER to provide direct sw itching capabllities and indicate soil moisture 1e11,els.

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