Assessment of Precision Irrigation on Potatoes in Southern Alberta
| dc.contributor.advisor | Schoenau, Jeff | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Helgason, Warren | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Si, Bing | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Appels, Willemijn | |
| dc.creator | Harding, Adele | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-07-23T16:59:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-07-23T16:59:55Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2024 | |
| dc.date.created | 2024-08 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-07-23 | |
| dc.date.submitted | August 2024 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2024-07-23T16:59:56Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Precision irrigation, in which water is applied at different times and rates across and within farm fields according to environmental and soil conditions, offers a promising solution for effective water resource management. Excess irrigation can lead to disease and lower yields while under irrigation leads to a deficit often resulting in reduced yields and quality. Understanding water requirements is key to making informed irrigation decisions. Optimizing water usage for potato crops in southern Alberta is important in the face of water scarcity challenges. This project evaluates precision irrigation scheduling performance, including creation of management zones within a field, to determine which field variables have the most effect on potato yield, and analyze the effectiveness of predictive software. The data collected from five irrigated potato fields in Southern Alberta from 2019 to 2022, as well as from the Integrated Agriculture Technology Center (IATC) in 2021 and 2022, were analyzed. Annually, soil parameters, topography, moisture usage, and yield were evaluated at 5-6 monitoring points per field to represent variations within that field. Soil moisture at each point was monitored using moisture sensors and the Alberta Irrigation Management Model (AIMM) software was used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture changes at the IATC site. It was revealed that topographic complexity had the most significant influence on soil moisture dynamics, resulting in significant effects on potato yield. Soil moisture had a significant positive effect on yield during the tuber bulking stage, especially at a depth of 0-35cm, but a significant negative impact at a depth of 35-60cm. While variations in growing degree days and soil complexity did not consistently affect yield, there was a tendency towards a negative effect. Moisture content variations among points at the IATC sites had no significant relationship with yield, indicating success in the ability of predictive scheduling and VRI in reducing this source of yield variability. The AIMM model demonstrated higher reliability in prediction of irrigation requirements in 2022 than 2021, possibly due to differences in factors such as soil organic matter, bulk density of the soil, soil texture, weather, topography, and subsoil constraints, which affect model performance, but were not measured in this study. Precision irrigation offers a potential solution to address water scarcity challenges by optimizing water use efficiency and enhancing crop yield and quality through informed irrigation practices and technology integration. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15861 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.subject | Irrigation | |
| dc.subject | potatoes | |
| dc.subject | precision agriculture | |
| dc.title | Assessment of Precision Irrigation on Potatoes in Southern Alberta | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dc.type.material | text | |
| thesis.degree.department | Soil Science | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Soil Science | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Saskatchewan | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |