STAMP Decision Tool for Agronomic Crops in Louisiana

摘要

In Louisiana, irrigation efficiency can be improved by determining irrigation events based on plant water requirements. The objective of this project was to develop a decision tool to determine when to trigger irrigation based on plant water requirements for agronomic crops. The decision tool relies on a soil water balance to keep track of water movement in the root zone. This simplistic tool was developed using a spreadsheet for ease of access and availability without internet. Calibration of the tool was conducted by using irrigation data collected from research plots in 2015 and 2016 that included soil moisture measurements to determine actual water movement in the soil. In addition to the benefit of knowing when an irrigation event should occur,this spreadsheet can also act as a descriptive record that keeps track of water application and calculates irrigation efficiency for each irrigation event.