Abstract
An open field Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) experiment was a carried out on corn at the Vittorio Tadini experimental farm (Piacenza, Italy) on 2008. An Available Water Capacity (AWC) map of the experimental field was estimated using geo-referred measures of soil texture and water potential and using a MSI (Moisture Stress Index) map obtained from a SPOT HRG corn reflectance data collected on 2005 over the same field. Two irrigation water balances, based on standard local crop water requirements for each crop stage and rainfall, were calculated during the growing season for the two estimated extreme AWC values in the field. Variable rate irrigation prescription maps, aimed to maintain a minimum of 20% of AWC and to avoid to exceed the Field Capacity (FC) for each location in the field, were calculated by spatial linear interpolation based on the estimated AWC map of the two irrigation rates assigned for each irrigation turn to maximum and minimum AWC locations. Irrigation turns were set according to estimated minimum AWC depletion (i.e. aimed to maintain a minimum of 20% of AWC in locations with smallest AWC. VRI was carried out in part of the field by GPS-driven traveling sprinkler varying travel speed and gun angular speed to achieve desired rate within management zones, whereas in the other part of the field irrigation was carried out with constant rates corresponding to the spatial average of the VRI area (i.e. the same amounts of water were given to VRI and test –constant rate– areas in each irrigation turn). Grain production of VRI-irrigated corn outperformed that of test area by 20%.
Translated title of the contribution | [Autom. eng. transl.] Variable rate grain maize irrigation using water stress index maps from SPOT HRG acquisition |
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Original language | Italian |
Title of host publication | Atti 15° Conferenza Nazionale ASITA |
Pages | 2113-2118 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Event | 15° Conferenza Nazionale ASITA - Colorno Duration: 15 Nov 2011 → 18 Nov 2011 |
Conference
Conference | 15° Conferenza Nazionale ASITA |
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City | Colorno |
Period | 15/11/11 → 18/11/11 |
Keywords
- Agricoltura di precisione
- Irrigazione
- Mais
- Telerilevamento