CropLife e-News

Leaf Temperature Becomes Pivotal

Irrigation is turning over a new leaf -- and taking its temperature to know when to turn on and off.

A system that turns irrigation water on and off automatically based on leaf temperature is being developed by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientists at the Bushland and Lubbock centers in Texas.

The research includes the integration of sensors that can help determine whether to skip watering parts of a field because plants are suffering from disease rather than drought or because no plants have survived in that part of the field.

Ultimately, the scientists will seek a cooperative research and development agreement with a center pivot manufacturing company that can build the sensors and control system into their equipment.

This research is part of the Ogallala Aquifer Program started in 2004, a partnership between ARS and the Ogallala region's universities. The Ogallala Aquifer underlies eight states from Texas to South Dakota and is one of the world's major aquifers. The goal of the Ogallala Aquifer Program is to protect the towns and their livelihoods, including agricultural industries, by stopping the depletion of the aquifer.

(Source: AgLineNews)