Boosting Profits While Conserving Water!

Due to declines in the Ogallala Aquifer, farmers in the Southern High Plains region rely on automated irrigation systems to ensure precision irrigation of their fields, but it can be costly. The traditional gold standard system for accurate irrigation scheduling costs over $10,000 per soil water sensor and involves high labor costs. 

ARS scientists in Bushland, TX, worked with industry partners to develop and produce affordable automated irrigation and sensor systems that have proved to be useful for irrigation scheduling. For instance, the soil water sensor known as TDR-315 and the plant water stress sensor known as the SapIP-IRT, priced at about $300 each, are both more affordable options for producers. In addition, the new soil water sensor has shown to be as accurate as the previous gold standard. When used together with an automated wireless sensor telemetry system developed by ARS and available from an industry partner, this technology enables producers to utilize limited water resources more efficiently while maintaining crop yields and quality.