Comparison of Irrigation Scheduling Methods on Wheat

Abstract

Several improved irrigation scheduling methods are available to farmers to reduce the amount of water used while not reducing crop yield. Each scheduling method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Because of the disadvantages, farmers have been slow in adopting some of the newer irrigation scheduling methods. This study compares two improved scheduling methods, the neutron hydro probe and a simplified bookkeeping method using a personal computer, with the irrigation practices normally used by a farm manager to grow wheat. In addition to the traditional parameters of applied water and yield, the time and difficulty associated with each method were evaluated.