Discussion of Why VRI May Not Being Used to Its Full Potential

摘要

VRI, variable rate irrigation, sometimes call site specific irrigation was introduced to farmers in 2001 by the University of Georgia and early versions became available in 2004 commercially. The major OEM manufacturers of center pivots began to introduce center pivots equipped with VRI in 2010. Many different groups have touted the concept of water savings and improved water use efficiency when VRI is used. However after discussions with a number of farmers in 2016 and 2017 using center pivots equipped with VRI zone or individual sprinkler control it was found some had never used the VRI function or had tried to use and stopped for a variety of reasons. This paper will present the findings on why VRI is not being used to its full benefit exploringboth hardware and software. In addition some suggested recommendations to improve the use of this technology will be presented.