Evaluation of automated bay irrigation

Rod Smith, Jasim Uddin, Malcolm Gillies – NCEAPeter Moller, Kevin Clurey – Rubicon Water

Trial Sites

10 Bay irrigated dairy farms in northern Victoria automated with Rubicon ‘Farm Connect’ systems

1 bay per farm X multiple irrigations

Irrigations carried out by farmer using usual management

Fully automated bay irrigated dairy farm

Zigbee radio communication

within farm

Channel control gate

Bay gates

Pipe and riser system

Data used in evaluation

Flow rate – measured at Rubicon ‘Smart Meter Gateway’ at farm inlet

Advance time and flow depths – measured by Rubicon ‘FloodTech’ sensors at various locations down the bay

Soil moisture deficit – from moisture probe or ET estimates

FloodTech flow depth sensor

Mean Ground Surface Level

1/10/2014 7:12

1/10/2014 9:36

1/10/2014 12:00

1/10/2014 14:24

1/10/2014 16:480

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Time

Re

ad

ing

(m

m)

Process: Simulation model (SISCO) calibrated using measured

data, that is, the bay infiltration characteristic and the flow resistance provided by the crop or pasture determined by finding best fit between model prediction and measured advance & depths

Use SISCO to simulate the irrigation and calculate the performance parameters, ie to give: Application and requirement efficiencies Depth of water that has infiltrated Volume of runoff Deep percolation loss

Calibration of SISCO – advance data

Calibration of SISCO – depth data

Summary of irrigation performance

Farm Crop Ea%

Er%

Runoff %

Deep Perc %

Gr Perm pasture 67 100 27 6

Inv Soybean 70 - 88 92 30 - 11 1

Ll Lucerne 96 99 1 3

Min Perm pasture 67 71 33 -

P Lucerne 99 70* - -

Q Lucerne 99 81* - -

R Perm pasture 71 100 5 24

* Advance did not reach end of field

Combination of high flow rate, accurate selection of duration (Tco), & consistent scheduling gave: High efficiency Minimal deep drainage &

runoff

Example 1 – High performance irrigator

Soil moisture

Depth infiltrated

Example 2 – Lesser performance

1/16/2014 0:00 1/31/2014 0:00 2/15/2014 0:00 3/2/2014 0:00 3/17/2014 0:00360

365

370

375

380

385

Time

So

il m

ois

ture

(m

m)

D soil moisture = 15 mm

SETo = 85 mm

Depth infiltrated = 44 mm

Example 3 – Interpretation?

Minimising uncertainty

Accurate & sufficient data

Multiple irrigations – consistent results

Ground truthing observations