Quick fact sheet to support irrigation scheduling.
- The soil in the root zone has an upper as well as a lower limit of storing water that can be used by crops.
- Tracking soil moisture to improve irrigation scheduling saves time, energy, nutrients and water.
- Technology improvements in sensing technology and data acquisition have made soil moisture sensing more practical and easier.
- Sensors should be placed in the most representative soil type in a field. In furrow irrigation, 2/3 down the length of the field is typically best.
- As the crop grows and extracts water from the soil to satisfy its ET requirement, the stored soil water is gradually depleted.