Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A.
The Northeast United States is a temperate region that has historically experienced even rainfall distribution across the agricultural growing season. Due to climate change, seasonal precipitation and temperature dynamics are shifting, causing many farmers to rethink their approach to irrigation. So...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Agricultural Water Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423002937 |
| _version_ | 1827868466128879616 |
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| author | Rachel E. Schattman Haley Jean Joshua W. Faulkner Rebecca Maden Lisa McKeag Katie Campbell Nelson Vernon Grubinger Stephanie Burnett M. Susan Erich Tsutomu Ohno |
| author_facet | Rachel E. Schattman Haley Jean Joshua W. Faulkner Rebecca Maden Lisa McKeag Katie Campbell Nelson Vernon Grubinger Stephanie Burnett M. Susan Erich Tsutomu Ohno |
| author_sort | Rachel E. Schattman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Northeast United States is a temperate region that has historically experienced even rainfall distribution across the agricultural growing season. Due to climate change, seasonal precipitation and temperature dynamics are shifting, causing many farmers to rethink their approach to irrigation. Soil-water sensing technology, including tensiometers and granular matrix sensors, are often used by farmers to increase water use efficiency. However, adoption of these technologies is low in the Northeast. We conducted a field study to assess the potential of soil-water sensing hardware and software to improve crop outcomes in temperate agricultural regions such as the Northeast, and a survey to better understand farmer preferences for using soil moisture sensors and associated data. The survey involved two vegetable farmer industry associations, and focus groups at four agricultural conferences. We found a diversity of preferences among farmers when it comes to when and how they would like to access soil-water data. The cost of cloud-based data collection and storage is a barrier for some farmers, and they question the economic benefits of investing in these platforms. Additionally, we conducted field experiments in two locations across two growing seasons to investigate how using three irrigation strategies (feeling the soil, granular matrix sensors, and timers) affect soil-water conditions, leaching, and crop yield and quality. We found no significant effects of irrigation strategy on yield, though our results suggest other advantages in using soil moisture sensors. For example, the use of sensors increased the proportion of days during the growing season in which soil-water was in the optimal field capacity category. Therefore, using these sensors will reduce potential environmental risk associated with N contamination of groundwater. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:31:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3ab45723b3846d68aa9c373d20c0fa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1873-2283 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:31:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agricultural Water Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3ab45723b3846d68aa9c373d20c0fa72023-08-10T04:33:36ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832023-09-01287108428Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A.Rachel E. Schattman0Haley Jean1Joshua W. Faulkner2Rebecca Maden3Lisa McKeag4Katie Campbell Nelson5Vernon Grubinger6Stephanie Burnett7M. Susan Erich8Tsutomu Ohno9University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA; Corresponding author.University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USAUniversity of Vermont Extension, 63 Carrigan Dr., Burlington, VT 05405, USAUniversity of Vermont Extension, 423 Pond Ln #300, Middlebury, VT 05753, USAUniversity of Massachusetts Extension, French Hall, 230 Stockbridge Rd., Amherst, MA 01003, USACornell Cooperative Extension, Columbia & Greene Counties, Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055 Route 23, Acra, NY 12405, USAUniversity of Vermont Extension, 130 Austine Dr #300, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USAUniversity of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USAUniversity of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USAUniversity of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USAThe Northeast United States is a temperate region that has historically experienced even rainfall distribution across the agricultural growing season. Due to climate change, seasonal precipitation and temperature dynamics are shifting, causing many farmers to rethink their approach to irrigation. Soil-water sensing technology, including tensiometers and granular matrix sensors, are often used by farmers to increase water use efficiency. However, adoption of these technologies is low in the Northeast. We conducted a field study to assess the potential of soil-water sensing hardware and software to improve crop outcomes in temperate agricultural regions such as the Northeast, and a survey to better understand farmer preferences for using soil moisture sensors and associated data. The survey involved two vegetable farmer industry associations, and focus groups at four agricultural conferences. We found a diversity of preferences among farmers when it comes to when and how they would like to access soil-water data. The cost of cloud-based data collection and storage is a barrier for some farmers, and they question the economic benefits of investing in these platforms. Additionally, we conducted field experiments in two locations across two growing seasons to investigate how using three irrigation strategies (feeling the soil, granular matrix sensors, and timers) affect soil-water conditions, leaching, and crop yield and quality. We found no significant effects of irrigation strategy on yield, though our results suggest other advantages in using soil moisture sensors. For example, the use of sensors increased the proportion of days during the growing season in which soil-water was in the optimal field capacity category. Therefore, using these sensors will reduce potential environmental risk associated with N contamination of groundwater.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423002937Climate changeDecision makingIrrigationNitrate leachingVegetable productionWater use efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Rachel E. Schattman Haley Jean Joshua W. Faulkner Rebecca Maden Lisa McKeag Katie Campbell Nelson Vernon Grubinger Stephanie Burnett M. Susan Erich Tsutomu Ohno Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. Agricultural Water Management Climate change Decision making Irrigation Nitrate leaching Vegetable production Water use efficiency |
| title | Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. |
| title_full | Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. |
| title_fullStr | Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. |
| title_short | Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A. |
| title_sort | effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the northeastern u s a |
| topic | Climate change Decision making Irrigation Nitrate leaching Vegetable production Water use efficiency |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423002937 |
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