By: Nick Baldwin

Number of farms irrigated: 220,163 Total acres: 52,583,431 Water used (total acre-ft): 86,894,031 Irrigation in the United States

Top 5 States for Irrigation California 8,856,326 acres Nebraska 7,536,860 acres Texas 4,944,631 acres Arkansas 3,999,645 acres Idaho 3,182,176 acres

Flood (furrow) Irrigation Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA) Center-Pivot Irrigation systems Subsurface Irrigation Drip/Microirrigation

Flood (furrow) Irrigation Systems Flood irrigation is the least expensive irrigation method where water is relatively cheap. It should only be used on very flat fields, where ponding is not a problem. Flooding is a good way to flush salts out of the soil. It is highly inefficient, however, when speaking of water loss through evaporation.

Center-Pivot Irrigation Vs. LEPA Center-Pivot Irrigation Systems Center-Pivot up to 35 percent, is lost because of evaporation and the blowing winds. Center-Pivot LEPA systems allow more than 90-percent of the water pumped to be used by the crop. Crop water use efficiency increased by 50%-75%. Water savings compared to any surface irrigation up to 45-70%.

Subsurface Irrigation and Drip/Microirrigation Subsurface irrigation water below the ground surface by using a buried perforated or porous pipe system that discharges directly into the root zone. In properly designed and operated systems, little or no wetting of the soil surface occurs. Microirrigation is a low pressure, low volume irrigation system suitable for high-return value Crops such as fruit and vegetable Crops. Excellent management is needed to maintain the system since clogging of the emitters High initial cost of the systems.

Infrared Thermo-Couples (IRT) Red Band Wave (RED) Near Infrared Band (NIR)

Used to optimize irrigation water by using data from crop (plant temperature and Leaf Area Index) and soil. Irrigation system where sensors control water output

Thermal Scanner on board a helicopter. * This was a study done of water stress on cotton in Arizona.

Infrared pictures used to show water movement. Irrigation Systems apply water at constant rate

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