Irrigation Management—A Tool for Agribusiness

Irrigation Management is a tool whereby timely application of water can improve irrigation efficiencies. Irrigation Management has been made possible by adaptation of a computer program to the Jensen-Haise method of computing crop consumptive use. A daily soil moisture level balance is available by inserting climatic parameters for a computer printout at a specific time. These printouts are presented to irrigators and they can be shown when the next irrigation application will be required for a specific field. This will improve irrigation efficiencies because the water will be applied when the soil moisutre level is deficient. Data previously collected indicated that irrigators were unaware of soil mosture levels when applying water. Irrigation Management Services being conducted by Bureau of Reclamation personnel in Kansas and Wyoming are presented in this publication. Data for the Irrigation Management have been analyzed showing results during 1971. The future of Irrigation Management is exploited and incorporated with operation of irrigation systems.