Irrigation Scheduler overview
Welcome to the Irrigation Scheduler. This program has been brought to you by the
support of the GREEEN grant and Michigan State University Extension. This
program's purpose is to assist Michigan's farmers in managing their water
resources efficiently. By accurately recording the amount of rain and
irrigation that your field receives you can decide when to
apply irrigation. Planning will help with efficient use of resources,
benefitting everyone.
Data Inputs
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Water Inputs:
To use the Irrigation Scheduler, you will need to record rainfall and
irrigation at each field.
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Location/Weather Data:
Using your location, the three closest
Enviroweather
stations are used to compile data and estimate the Reference Potential
Evapotranspiration for the day.
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Crop Type:
The type of crop is used to describe how quickly and deep the roots of the crop
grow and how much of the Potential Evapotranspiration is used, based on the
leaf type and projected leaf canopy cover.
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Soil Type:
The soil type controls how water is distributed through the soil profile when
rain or irrigation water is added to the crop. Soils with higher water
holding capacities will retain more water, allowing the crop to draw for a
longer period of time before exhausting. Soils with low water holding
capacities may allow water to pass through the profile in high rainfall events.
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Planting Date and Season Length:
The dates are used to link to the correct weather information, and the season
length is used to calculate how mature a crop is on a given date.