Use of site-specific measurement stations for irrigation management and crops water demand monitoring. An experience in almonds, in the province of San Juan, Argentina

In the context of modern agriculture, it is important for farmers and agricultural consultants to count with technological tools that allow an appropriate monitoring of the development of the crop, and of the water and fertilizers applied among other. These objectives can be achieved if information of the soil-water-crop-atmosphere complex system is organized and on-line available for the users. This work describes our experience during the installation and set up in field of a group of measurement stations, intended to give site-specific information regarding what is going inside the crop. Each station measures the ambient temperature and humidity at four different heights, the atmospheric pressure, the solar radiation index, wind velocity and direction, crop temperature, trunk growth, soil moisture at four depths, soil temperature, amount of water supplied, and pressure and caudal in the pipes. Information is saved, at regular intervals, in a data logger, and then transmitted to a PC located in an office. The system is complemented with a PLC-based irrigation controller that allows to automatically performing the irrigation schedule. The experience was realized in a young almonds crop, located in the province of San Juan. It is expected to use this system along the 2015/2016 season in order to determine the crop coefficient (Kc) in four almond varieties and verify the effects of applying regulated deficit irrigation (RDF) treatments.