340% Yield with Precision Irrigation Control.
Why use AgriSmartGreen Precision Irrigation Controller for irrigated farming? The answer in short: for crop safety, for yield and for water savings! The order of priority is often fixed by climatic conditions, but in favourable conditions there may even be choices.
The sensors used in the AgriSmartGreen (ASG) irrigation control station and the wireless IoT measuring stations used enable the sampling of irrigation events related to production and data storage, analysis and monitoring.
Thanks to the continuous flow of data, we can see into the soil and the development of water conditions, and the preparation of irrigation and cultivation decisions based on the measured values is easier.
Current practical experience shows that if irrigation decisions are based on the opinion of the producer or on their traditional (non-sensor-based) measurement methods, either under-irrigation and usually yield losses occur, or over-irrigation and thus cost increases and water wastage occur. The plant may not be grateful if its feet are constantly dangling in water!
Irrigation control without proper real-time data is like driving a car with a very muddy windscreen on the highway: it’s life-threatening!
One of the life-saving data that can be measured by a sensor in drying soil is the plant’s water stress point, beyond which it becomes increasingly difficult for the plant to absorb water from the soil. In the case of irrigated production, this is the basis for the START command to start irrigation.
The other cost-saving data is provided by the root zone-specific soil moisture sensor, which is installed to detect the need for irrigation STOP when the root zone reaches its soil-specific water content limit, preventing water from leaking into the root zone with dissolved nutrients. This is also an important feature from a soil conservation point of view.
The technical design of the irrigation control station and a description of the operating principle can be found here. (Link: ASH04 Measuring station functional description)
Over the last 4 years, 14 pilot irrigation control stations have been installed at several farmers in the region to validate the irrigation control method in practical production. Based on the data provided by the producers, we have prepared a statement of the relevant pilot yields.
Crop results: red onion
Most of the pilot experiments were conducted in onion irrigation, and the most outstanding yields were obtained here.
Location1
| Production Year | Harvested yield (t/ha) | KSH national average (t/ha) | Yield increase compared to the average (%) |
| 2021 | 100 t/ha | 29.07 | 337% |
| 2022 | 75 t/ha | 31.87 | 235% |
| 2023 | 91.3 t/ha | no data | 286% (2022) |
The 2023 result is also shown in the graph below, by type of onion grown:
Yields: garlic
Location2
| Production Year | Harvested yield (t/ha) | KSH national average (t/ha) | Yield increase compared to the average (%) |
| 2022 | 13 | 6.33 | 205% |
Crop results: green peas
Location3
| Production Year | Harvested yield (t/ha) by variety | KSH national average (t/ha) | Yield increase compared to the average (%) |
| 2023 | 6.2
8.1 8.2 7.3 |
4.5 (2022) | 140%
180% 182% 162% |
Yield results: industrial tomatoes
Location3
| Production Year | Yield (t/ha);
by species |
Learned Brix
dry matter (%) |
National average yield (t/ha) | National Brix average
(%) |
An increase in results compared to the average.
Hozam, Brix |
| 2023 | 67
80 94 |
6.3
5.8 5.1 |
61.9 (2022) | 5 (2022) | 108%; 126%
129%; 116% 152%; 102% |
In the above pilot areas, irrigation was carried out with a variety of machinery, such as micro irrigation, drip tape, linears, irrigation drums. Irrigation at all sites is started and stopped by human intervention, and no automatic system has been installed at any of the sites.
Irrigation was controlled manually by examining the graphical representation of the measurements.
The graphs show the status and variation of soil moisture as a function of time, the sensor parameter used to estimate plant stress, and the water saturation of the root zone.
Experience of crop yields has shown that the irrigation control system can be used effectively if the person responsible for irrigation regularly checks the water status parameters on the graph of measurements and also monitors the forecast of expected rainfall and uses these to make decisions about controlling the irrigation schedule that is desirable from a production point of view.
Irrigation is only one element of production, other factors need to be constantly monitored. Knowing the individual growers and the locations, experience shows that only with the right soil, nutrients and plant protection can an excellent harvest be achieved.
Irrigation = crop security
The biggest benefit of the AgriSmartGreen irrigation control system is not just the increased yield. From an economic, survival point of view, it is much more important to maintain crop security even in bad weather conditions than, for example, in 2022.
In the drought year of 2022, there was a visible decline in onion yields, in many cases there was no water in the canal, it was physically impossible to irrigate. But taking the whole season into account, the final result (75t/ha) still brought plenty of production profit to the kitchen.
Deficit irrigation = Water saving without yield loss
World famous Hungarian-born Dr. János Selye, professor of medicine and developer of the stress theory, stated that “STRESS IS LIFE’S SAVA-WINE”. Another of his famous statements is: “THE STRESS FREE STATE IS DEATH”. Most people think of stress as a negative thing, but as Professor Selye’s work shows, stress improves adaptability and therefore survival and even performance. Stress is part of all life, including plants. The deficit irrigation method forces the plant to develop roots more rapidly by forcing it into a mild water deficit stress state, with less irrigation water use. Experience from experiments in the literature suggests that the improvement in crop quality despite less water can be explained by the functioning of the plant root.
The drying root zone causes the plant to develop more water and nutrient-absorbing capillary roots to avoid stress, so the roots seek water. These new roots will be able to take up more leached nutrients from the larger soil space when the root zone is re-irrigated, thus improving the content and quality of the crop, often without reducing the quantity.
At the beginning of the vegetative cycle, adequate water supply must be ensured for reproductive development, and then, when the plant has reached the right vegetative stage, deficit irrigation can be used to enhance the outcome of the fruiting stage by deficit events.
AgriSmartGreen’s precision sensors are accurate enough to differentiate between a mild stress condition and a lethal stress condition, and to restore water supply at the right time by restarting irrigation when the safe plant-specific threshold is reached.
To summarise the benefits of the system
- Crop security if irrigation conditions are somewhat sustainable during the season.
- In years with favourable weather and water conditions, the yield increase is significant.
- Crop-specific water stress can be significantly reduced during the production season.
- An irrigation programme can be adapted to the available water resources.
- No over-irrigation, no water wastage, no pollution of the aquifer with nitrogen-containing irrigation water leaching below the root zone.
- Environmental parameters, soil condition data sampled and stored in a database are available for post-analysis.
- When applied properly, deficit irrigation can save up to 50% water, with negligible or no yield loss and significantly improved yield factors.
Author:
Csaba Tóth
PhD,
electrical engineer, precision farming engineer
T-Markt Kereskedőház Kft.
2013 Pomáz Határ u 5/A
0626-525-500
www.agrismartgreen.com
