Understanding Variable Rate Irrigation under Situations of Field Heterogeneity
Date
2023-09-15
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0000-1641-410X
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Due to the water sensitive nature of potatoes, variable rate irrigation (VRI) technology may be an
effective tool to optimize irrigation in this crop. However, the potential economic and agronomic
benefits of this technology are still unclear, especially over varying agricultural landscapes. We
hypothesize that VRI technology will be a valuable tool when used on potato fields that have a
high degree of soil and topographic heterogeneity. This hypothesis is tested using field-level data
from 2019, 2020 and 2021 collected in the Lethbridge region.
We define a site-specific irrigation-yield production function based on the water balance and
physical properties of unique management zones within a field, specifically soil texture and
topographic variability. The function is used in an economic optimization model to determine the
benefits of VRI technology relative to uniform irrigation.
After calibrating the optimization model with field level data, we conclude that heterogeneity
between management zones has a large impact on the net present value (NPV) of an investment
in VRI. Generally, as heterogeneity between management zones increases, the NPV of an
investment in VRI goes from being negative (a poor investment) to being positive (a strong
investment). Our study is one of the first to apply observational field data in an economic
optimization model to estimate the benefits of VRI relative to uniform irrigation.
Description
Keywords
Agricultural Economics, Precision Agriculture, Variable Rate Irrigation Technology, Land Heterogeneity
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Program
Agricultural Economics