The Almond Board has tools available to help growers with managing irrigation. In this week’s Almond Update, Senior Manager, Irrigation and Water Efficiency, Spencer Cooper tells us about the irrigation continuum.
Listen to the audio report with Spencer Cooper:
From the Almond Board of California:
Limited water supplies — with or without the California drought — are a reality. Almond Board of California has invested heavily in the area of water irrigation strategies and technologies that conserve water while optimizing almond production and tree health, as well as in ways to protect ground-and surface-water from potential runoff or leaching of grower inputs.
One of these investments is the Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum; a comprehensive manual of irrigation management and scheduling practices. Recognizing that growers may be operating at different stages of irrigation efficiency, the Continuum provides information at three proficiency levels (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0), each covering the following concepts and how to execute and effectively integrate them:
Measuring irrigation system performance and efficiency
Estimating orchard water requirements based on evapotranspiration
Determining the water applied
Evaluating soil moisture
Evaluating plant water status
The Irrigation Continuum was developed in partnership with the many trusted and respected technical experts and resources available, such as University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension. Please email Spencer Cooper, for an in-the-orchard visit or phone consultation. Spencer’s support allows for system-specific recommendations to increase the “crop per drop” on an orchard-by-orchard basis.