Irrigation system selection for maximum crop profit
Authors: 
R. W. Hill, Jack KellerAuthors Info & Claims
Abstract
The selection of irrigation systems and management of irrigation water to maximize profit from crop production implies an optimization process of some sort. Such an optimization of irrigation system design is a complicated task and most often it is done by intuition. It involves the physical system, crop growth patterns, crop response to water and fertility and on-farm management practices.
This paper presents a methodology for relating the selection of irrigation system design parameters to the crop production profitability. Irrigation system uniformity along with the scheduling of applied water has an important effect on crop yield and thus net farm income. A computerized technique is used which relates system uniformity and scheduling practices to crop growth and production. For a given irrigation system design, furrow, sprinkle, or trickle, and a particular scheduling scheme, the seasonal water application which will maximize the net profit from a specified crop can be estimated.
The computerized mathematical model requires data relating system costs and design parameters to water application uniformity, crop-water production functions (from field data or crop growth models), production costs, and system capital costs. This systematized design process allows the designer to evaluate relative trade-offs between water, system and crop production costs, and returns with relative ease. Without this capability many irrigation systems, as a result of minimal effort expended in their design, are less than adequate for the field conditions in which they must operate. The inclusion of more relevant variables into a workable design process should prove helpful in increasing the designers' awareness of the interaction of crop production with irrigation systems. Field based crop production and economic data are used to illustrate the technique.
References
[1]
Chang, J. A., R. B. Campbell and F. E. Robinson. 1963. "On the Relationship Between Water and Sugar Cane Yield in Hawaii," Agronomy Journal, 55:450-453.
[2]
Hamad, Safa N. 1976. "A Rationale for Furrow Irrigation Design and Management," Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.
[3]
Hart, W. E. and W. N. Reynolds. 1965. "Analytical Design of Sprinkler Systems," Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 83-85, 89.
[4]
Keller, J. and David Karmeli. 1974. "Trickle Irrigation Design," Rain Bird Sprinkler Manufacturing Company, Glendora, California, 182 pp.
[5]
Keller, J., D. F. Peterson, and H. B. Peterson. 1973. "A Strategy for Optimizing Research on Agricultural Systems Involving Water Management," Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering/Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.
[6]
Keller, J., J. P. Riley, and R. J. Hanks. 1972. "Irrigation Design and Management Related to Economics," Paper presented at Irrigation and Drainage Division Specialty Conference, ASCE, Spokane, Washington, September 26-28.
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Stringham, Glen E. and Safa N. Hamad. 1975. "Design of Irrigation Runoff Recovery Systems," Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division, ASCE, Vol. 101, No. IR 3, pp. 209-219.
[8]
Varlev, I. 1976. "Evaluation of Non-uniformity in Irrigation and Yield," Journal of Irrigation and Drainage, ASCE, Vol. 102, No. IR 1, Proc. Paper 12003.
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Rhodesia Sugar Association Experiment Station, Chiredzi, Rhodesia. Miscellaneous Reports of field trials. Courtesy of T. L. Pearse.
Index Terms
- Irrigation system selection for maximum crop profit
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- SCS: Society for Computer Simulation
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- SIGSIM: ACM Special Interest Group on Simulation and Modeling
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IEEE Computer Society Press
Washington, DC, United States
Publication History
Published: 01 December 1978
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