What are ways to reduce water usage in agricultural irrigation systems without compromising crop yields?
What are ways to reduce water usage in agricultural irrigation systems without compromising crop yields?
user
Some practices that can be implemented in agricultural irrigation systems to reduce water usage without sacrificing crop yields include replacing manual valves with automatically-controlled system, utilizing irrigation scheduling software to optimize water delivery, installing drip or micro-irrigation systems that minimize runoff, using rain and soil moisture sensors to detect optimal water needs of crops, installing flow control devices on the system to allow maximum use of available irrigation watersources, making timed fertilizer applications instead of broadcast applications, and changing pumping methods from flood to Center Pivots.
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What are ways to reduce water usage in agricultural irrigation systems without compromising crop yields?
user
There are multiple ways to reduce water usage in agricultural irrigation systems without compromising crop yields. These include replacing traditional sprinkler irrigation systems with more modern drip irrigation systems, which decrease water evaporation and increase water efficiency; as well as utilizing soil moisture sensors to better control the amount of water being used; using weather-based controls that automatically adjust the system according to current growing conditions; utilizing smart software for data analysis and prescription mapping; switching from surface crops to subsurface ones, which save up to 30% of precious resources; investing in energy efficient pumps and motors for the system's main distribution network and finally, implementing conservation tillage operations or cover crops on fallow fields in order to store moisture. Additionally, proper mulching or terrace farming can also lead reduce evaporation & save soil moisture.
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