1. Irrigation Efficiency on small farms and gardens. Dean Moberg USDA – NRCS

2. Welcome and introductions Monet, Haystacks

3. Irrigation as a system Hardware. Soil. Plants. Escher, Waterfall

4. Irrigation as a system Hardware. Soil. Plants.

5. Hardware Flood Sprinkler Micro

6. Hardware Flood Sprinkler Micro

7. Sprinkler types (add photos) Hand line Wheel line K-line Big gun Linear Solid set

8. Sprinkler benefits Can be portable Cooling Frost protection

9. Sprinkler drawbacks Uniformity difficult Affected by wind Wet foliage High energy cost Smaller sets Scott and Cory, 1957

10. Sprinkler tip 1: professional design Pump pressure and flow Pipeline water velocity, flow, pressure Sprinkler type and spacing Air, vacuum release, drain valves Thrust blocks

11. Sprinkler tip 2: overlap

12. Sprinkler tip 3: pressure Smesrud et al., 1997 Low Correct

13. Sprinkler tip 4: maintenance

14. Sprinkler tip 4: water hammer

15. Micro (drip) benefits Less waste Uniform Low labor Dry foliage Less bacteria on fruit?

16. Micro drawbacks Hard to see clogs and leaks Animal damage Hard to “catch up”

17. Micro tip 1: good filtration

18. Micro tip 2: regular flush

19. Irrigation as a system Hardware. Soil. Plants.

20. Available water, simplified Smesrud et al., 1997

21. Web Soil Survey Free, fun, easy http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm

24. Volunteer needed

25. Available Water (percent)

26. Good soil health practices can increase this.

27. Irrigation as a system Hardware. Soil. Plants.

28. http://bioe.oregonstate.edu/Faculty/selker/wo_irrigation_guide.htm

29. Hess et al., 1997

30. From blueberry guide Effective root depth = 18 inches Maximum allowable depletion = 50%

31. Maximum allowable depletion

32. Available water (inches)

33. Total available water Your available water calculation will depend on your soil and crop.

34. Evapotranspiration (ET) Peak ET for blueberries = 0.25 in/day

37. http://weather.wsu.edu/ism/index.php?m=1

46. http://irrigation.wsu.edu/index.php

49. Make an example slide showing drip irrigation that runs every day to keep soil at ~60-80% AWHC

51. Make an example slide showing sprinkler irrigation that runs every 4 or 5 days to keep soil at ~60-90% AWHC

53. Gadgets - atmometers “Reverse rain gauge” Estimates ET

54. Gadgets - tensiometer Measures true soil water tension Requires care, generally better for lighter soils that are kept fairly moist

55. Gadgets – granular matrix sensor Simple Measures electrical conductivity and converts to tension estimate

56. Gadgets – volumetric Volumetric data converts directly to inches water needed Higher cost

57. Gadgets – human hand 25-50% AWC 50-75% AWC 75-100% AWC Typical silt loam shown

58. Gadgets – variable frequency drives Matches pump output (flow, pressure) to need. Saves energy. Only cost-effective in certain situations.

59. Staying legal Water rights specify how you may irrigate: Rate (gallons per minute) Total amount (inches per year) Dates See watermaster for help: 1400 SW Walnut St, Suite 240 Hillsboro, Oregon 97123

60. And justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) Vonnoh, Coquelicots

61. And justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

62. Questions?

63. Rooting depth SCS, 1991