Irrigation monitoring systems optimize water use, maximize plant health and growers' profitability, by Don Talend, brand storytelling, content management and demand generation expert. Water engineering industry
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Domestic Wastewater Treatment by Root Zone Technology Option: Colacassia PlantDr. Amarjeet Singh
Root Zone Technology is one of the low cost
methods to treat wastewater. With the help of this system we
can treat the Non-Point sources with best results. To achieve
this goal we have to divide the Non-Point sources into
constructed channels within the river bank followed by root
zone bed or if the Non-Point Sources is coming from natural
nallas we can provide this system within its Channel. We
have prepared channel on which I have developed the root
zone bed and have lab analysis of rector out put on number
of parameters. Flow rate and Detention time are the two
factors on which channels are to be designed. Therefore I
am changing the flow rate and finding out the change in
parameter with respect to detection time. The optimization
is when we get best result with maximum flow. I have got
satisfactory results for the detention time of Three day,
Seven day and twenty one day and Three day. With the help
of this data I have designed the root zone bed system for the
selected actual Domestic Sources.
Productivity and quality of sugar beet as affecting by sowing and irrigation ...Innspub Net
Two field experiments were carried out at Kalabsho Experimental Farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt, during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to study the effect of sowing methods (mechanical and manual methods), irrigation methods (surface and drip irrigation system) and hill spacings (10, 15 and 20cm between hills) on yield and its components, as well as quality of sugar beet cv. Hossam as a multigerm variety under sandy soil conditions. The obtained results could be summarized as follows; the optimum sowing method that produced the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters was mechanical sowing method (planter machine) in both seasons. Irrigation sugar beet plants by using drip irrigation system yielded the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters and followed by using surface flooding irrigation system in both seasons. Planting sugar beet seeds on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed produced, the highest values of yield and its components and root quality parameters and followed by planting on 15cm between hills, resulting plant population density 46666 plants/fed and finally planting on 10cm between hills, resulting plant population density 70000 plants/fed in the two seasons. From the obtained data in this study, it can be concluded that sowing sugar beet using mechanical sowing method (planter machine), irrigation by using drip irrigation system and planting on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed in order to maximizing its productivity and quality under the environmental conditions of sandy soil in Kalabsho region, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt.
Hydroponics is a way to skip the soil, sub in a different material to support the roots of the plant, and grow crops directly in nutrient-rich water. The main principles of hydroponics are increased oxygen to the root zone, and liquid feed delivered directly to roots. These factors result in increased growth rates, and increased yields when compared to tradition soil gardens where much lower oxygen and often nutrient levels are present.
Hydroponics is currently a promising system to develop distinctive plants. Hydroponics is a strategy which can deal with anybody effortlessly. Man can develop plants by hydroponics as their side interest or cultivating and at the same time, they can gather the new vegetables.
There are six main types of hydroponic systems to choose from:
Wick Systems.
Deep Water Culture (DWC)
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT).
Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain)
Aeroponics.
Drip Systems.
Md Mahedi Hasan Zahid
IUBAT (192)
Email: rsdzahid@gmail.com
Domestic Wastewater Treatment by Root Zone Technology Option: Colacassia PlantDr. Amarjeet Singh
Root Zone Technology is one of the low cost
methods to treat wastewater. With the help of this system we
can treat the Non-Point sources with best results. To achieve
this goal we have to divide the Non-Point sources into
constructed channels within the river bank followed by root
zone bed or if the Non-Point Sources is coming from natural
nallas we can provide this system within its Channel. We
have prepared channel on which I have developed the root
zone bed and have lab analysis of rector out put on number
of parameters. Flow rate and Detention time are the two
factors on which channels are to be designed. Therefore I
am changing the flow rate and finding out the change in
parameter with respect to detection time. The optimization
is when we get best result with maximum flow. I have got
satisfactory results for the detention time of Three day,
Seven day and twenty one day and Three day. With the help
of this data I have designed the root zone bed system for the
selected actual Domestic Sources.
Productivity and quality of sugar beet as affecting by sowing and irrigation ...Innspub Net
Two field experiments were carried out at Kalabsho Experimental Farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt, during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to study the effect of sowing methods (mechanical and manual methods), irrigation methods (surface and drip irrigation system) and hill spacings (10, 15 and 20cm between hills) on yield and its components, as well as quality of sugar beet cv. Hossam as a multigerm variety under sandy soil conditions. The obtained results could be summarized as follows; the optimum sowing method that produced the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters was mechanical sowing method (planter machine) in both seasons. Irrigation sugar beet plants by using drip irrigation system yielded the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters and followed by using surface flooding irrigation system in both seasons. Planting sugar beet seeds on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed produced, the highest values of yield and its components and root quality parameters and followed by planting on 15cm between hills, resulting plant population density 46666 plants/fed and finally planting on 10cm between hills, resulting plant population density 70000 plants/fed in the two seasons. From the obtained data in this study, it can be concluded that sowing sugar beet using mechanical sowing method (planter machine), irrigation by using drip irrigation system and planting on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed in order to maximizing its productivity and quality under the environmental conditions of sandy soil in Kalabsho region, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt.
Hydroponics is a way to skip the soil, sub in a different material to support the roots of the plant, and grow crops directly in nutrient-rich water. The main principles of hydroponics are increased oxygen to the root zone, and liquid feed delivered directly to roots. These factors result in increased growth rates, and increased yields when compared to tradition soil gardens where much lower oxygen and often nutrient levels are present.
Hydroponics is currently a promising system to develop distinctive plants. Hydroponics is a strategy which can deal with anybody effortlessly. Man can develop plants by hydroponics as their side interest or cultivating and at the same time, they can gather the new vegetables.
There are six main types of hydroponic systems to choose from:
Wick Systems.
Deep Water Culture (DWC)
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT).
Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain)
Aeroponics.
Drip Systems.
Md Mahedi Hasan Zahid
IUBAT (192)
Email: rsdzahid@gmail.com
Maintaining a budget is all in a day’s work for businesses, and one of the best places to cut overhead costs without compromising your services or products is water conservation especially if your business is a hotel or in an older building.
Water is the “invisible utility”, whose usage patterns are too often overlooked by companies as a cost of doing business. Water bills can account for as much as 20% of a buildings’ utility cost and upwards in process applications. Compared to other countries, Canadian water prices are well below average. The cost of water is likely to rise as watersheds are depleted, water conservation and efficiency standards are legislated, and municipal governments increase rates to fund repairs to aging infrastructure. To reduce water utility bills, building owners must find ways to limit their consumption without sacrificing occupancy comfort.
Precision Irrigation: A Method to Save Water and Energy While Increasing Cro...Gary Marks
Precision irrigation provides a means for evaluating a crop’s water requirements and a means for applying the right amount at the right time. Applying precision irrigation practices offers significant potential for saving water, energy, and money. Further, it has the potential to increases crop yield. There is an additional positive environmental impact from precision irrigation in that farm runoff, a major source of water pollution, can be reduced. This paper focuses on the irrigation of California agriculture, which uses nearly 80% of the state’s water and more than ten billion Kilowatt hours of electricity annually. That is enough electricity to power one million typical American households each year. The approximate power plant capacity required to power California irrigation through the months of May through October is 2500 MW, which is equivalent to 250 Min-Nuke power plants running at an average of 10MW each. The carbon footprint associated with the power is approximately six million metric tons of CO2 per year.
Intelligent water conservation and management techniques need to be adopted by the industry such that water can be optimally utilized. Now as per the recent forecasts and frequent occurrence of extreme events, the necessity of such management has become more significant. Based on this need, some start-up businesses can be established which can help to achieve the water conservation goals. Five such ideas are discussed in this presentation.
Conserving commercial reverse osmosis water in covid19 timesAmpac USA
About 2 billion people live in nations with high water stress. The COVID19 has made things worse. It’s time we think about conserving commercial reverse osmosis water. As water is an integral part of our lives, it cannot be replaced, it can only be conserved. The supply of freshwater is dwindling, and the toxins in the environment are increasing. Hence, water has become a precious commodity all across the globe.
Presentation given by Paige Gimbal from Water Counts at the Session: "Getting more from less - Innovations in Infrastructure" at the Great Valley Center's Sacramento Valley Forum on October 28, 2009 in Chico, CA.
Digital content portfolio, including video, blogs, web content and emails, by Don Talend, brand storytelling, content and demand generation expert, various industries
CertificateOfCompletion_Creating Online Video with Android Phones.pdfDon Talend
Creating Online Video with Android Phones completion certificate, LinkedIn Learning, for Don Talend, brand storytelling, content strategy and demand generation expert, content marketing field
Expert Insights - Social Media Marketing - Skillsoft_Badge.pdfDon Talend
Badge: Expert Insights on Social Media Marketing - Skillsoft course - for Don Talend, brand storytelling, content strategy and demand generation expert, content marketing field
Stepper motor performance reveals a suitability for high-speed applications that require significant precision. Control Design magazine article by Don Talend, editorial and marketing content expert, industrial controls industry
Don Talend Automatic Metering Infrastructure Implementation ArticleDon Talend
Innovative water utilities implement AMI and utilize the data to develop comprehensive loss prevention plans, , brand storytelling, content strategy and demand generation expert. Water processing industry
Don Talend Profit Matters - Profitable Estimating columnDon Talend
Contractor incorporates detailed project management data into its bids and increases its margins, by Don Talend, brand storytelling, content strategy and demand generation expert. Construction industry
Don Talend Mining Shovel Guidance System FlyerDon Talend
GPS-equipped system ensures crane operators optimize machine performance and material excavation, by Don Talend, brand storytelling, content strategy and demand generation expert. Mining industry
Core Web Vitals SEO Workshop - improve your performance [pdf]Peter Mead
Core Web Vitals to improve your website performance for better SEO results with CWV.
CWV Topics include:
- Understanding the latest Core Web Vitals including the significance of LCP, INP and CLS + their impact on SEO
- Optimisation techniques from our experts on how to improve your CWV on platforms like WordPress and WP Engine
- The impact of user experience and SEO
Is AI-Generated Content the Future of Content Creation?Cut-the-SaaS
Discover the transformative power of AI in content creation with our presentation, "Is AI-Generated Content the Future of Content Creation?" by Puran Parsani, CEO & Editor of Cut-The-SaaS. Learn how AI-generated content is revolutionizing marketing, publishing, education, healthcare, and finance by offering unprecedented efficiency, creativity, and scalability.
Understanding
AI-Generated Content:
AI-generated content includes text, images, videos, and audio produced by AI without direct human involvement. This technology leverages large datasets to create contextually relevant and coherent material, streamlining content production.
Key Benefits:
Content Creation: Rapidly generate high-quality content for blogs, articles, and social media.
Brainstorming: AI simulates conversations to inspire creative ideas.
Research Assistance: Efficiently summarize and research information.
Market Insights:
The content marketing industry is projected to grow to $17.6 billion by 2032, with AI-generated content expected to dominate over 55% of the market.
Case Study: CNET’s AI Content Controversy:
CNET’s use of AI for news articles led to public scrutiny due to factual inaccuracies, highlighting the need for transparency and human oversight.
Benefits Across Industries:
Marketing: Personalize content at scale and optimize engagement with predictive analytics.
Publishing: Automate content creation for faster publication cycles.
Education: Efficiently generate educational materials.
Healthcare: Create accurate content for patients and professionals.
Finance: Produce timely financial content for decision-making.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations:
Transparency: Disclose AI use to maintain trust.
Bias: Address potential AI biases with diverse datasets.
SEO: Ensure AI content meets SEO standards.
Quality: Maintain high standards to prevent misinformation.
Conclusion:
AI-generated content offers significant benefits in efficiency, personalization, and scalability. However, ethical considerations and quality assurance are crucial for responsible use. Explore the future of content creation with us and see how AI is transforming various industries.
Connect with Us:
Follow Cut-The-SaaS on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Medium. Visit cut-the-saas.com for more insights and resources.
Short video marketing has sweeped the nation and is the fastest way to build an online brand on social media in 2024. In this session you will learn:- What is short video marketing- Which platforms work best for your business- Content strategies that are on brand for your business- How to sell organically without paying for ads.
How to Run Landing Page Tests On and Off Paid Social PlatformsVWO
Join us for an exclusive webinar featuring Mariate, Alexandra and Nima where we will unveil a comprehensive blueprint for crafting a successful paid media strategy focused on landing page testing.With escalating costs in paid advertising, understanding how to maximize each visitor’s experience is crucial for retention and conversion.
This session will dive into the methodologies for executing and analyzing landing page tests within paid social channels, offering a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical insights.
The Pearmill team will guide you through the nuances of setting up and managing landing page experiments on paid social platforms. You will learn about the critical rules to follow, the structure of effective tests, optimal conversion duration and budget allocation.
The session will also cover data analysis techniques and criteria for graduating landing pages.
In the second part of the webinar, Pearmill will explore the use of A/B testing platforms. Discover common pitfalls to avoid in A/B testing and gain insights into analyzing A/B tests results effectively.
It's another new era of digital and marketers are faced with making big bets on their digital strategy. If you are looking at modernizing your tech stack to support your digital evolution, there are a few can't miss (often overlooked) areas that should be part of every conversation. We'll cover setting your vision, avoiding siloes, adding a democratized approach to data strategy, localization, creating critical governance requirements and more. Attendees will walk away with actions they can take into initiatives they are running today and consider for the future.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
AI-Powered Personalization: Principles, Use Cases, and Its Impact on CROVWO
In today’s era of AI, personalization is more than just a trend—it’s a fundamental strategy that unlocks numerous opportunities.
When done effectively, personalization builds trust, loyalty, and satisfaction among your users—key factors for business success. However, relying solely on AI capabilities isn’t enough. You need to anchor your approach in solid principles, understand your users’ context, and master the art of persuasion.
Join us as Sarjak Patel and Naitry Saggu from 3rd Eye Consulting unveil a transformative framework. This approach seamlessly integrates your unique context, consumer insights, and conversion goals, paving the way for unparalleled success in personalization.
The session includes a brief history of the evolution of search before diving into the roles technology, content, and links play in developing a powerful SEO strategy in a world of Generative AI and social search. Discover how to optimize for TikTok searches, Google's Gemini, and Search Generative Experience while developing a powerful arsenal of tools and templates to help maximize the effectiveness of your SEO initiatives.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how search engines work
Be able to find out where your users search
Know what is required for each discipline of SEO
Feel confident creating an SEO Plan
Confidently measure SEO performance
The Secret to Engaging Modern Consumers: Journey Mapping and Personalization
In today's digital landscape, understanding the customer's journey and delivering personalized experiences are paramount. This masterclass delves into the art of consumer journey mapping, a powerful technique that visualizes the entire customer experience across touchpoints. Attendees will learn how to create detailed journey maps, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for optimization. The presentation also explores personalization strategies that leverage data and technology to tailor content, products, and experiences to individual customers. From real-time personalization to predictive analytics, attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge approaches that drive engagement and loyalty.
Key Takeaways:
Current consumer landscape; Steps to mapping an effective consumer journey; Understanding the value of personalization; Integrating mapping and personalization for success; Brands that are getting It right!; Best Practices; Future Trends
SEO as the Backbone of Digital MarketingFelipe Bazon
In this talk Felipe Bazon will share how him and his team at Hedgehog Digital share our journey of making C-Levels alike, specially CMOS realize that SEO is the backbone of digital marketing by showing how SEO can contribute to brand awareness, reputation and authority and above all how to use SEO to create more robust global marketing strategies.
How to Use AI to Write a High-Quality Article that Ranksminatamang0021
In the world of content creation, many AI bloggers have drifted away from their original vision, resulting in low-quality articles that search engines overlook. Don't let that happen to you! Join us to discover how to leverage AI tools effectively to craft high-quality content that not only captures your audience's attention but also ranks well on search engines.
Disclaimer: Some of the prompts mentioned here are the examples of Matt Diggity. Please use it as reference and make your own custom prompts.
The What, Why & How of 3D and AR in Digital CommercePushON Ltd
Vladimir Mulhem has over 20 years of experience in commercialising cutting edge creative technology across construction, marketing and retail.
Previously the founder and Tech and Innovation Director of Creative Content Works working with the likes of Next, John Lewis and JD Sport, he now helps retailers, brands and agencies solve challenges of applying the emerging technologies 3D, AR, VR and Gen AI to real-world problems.
In this webinar, Vladimir will be covering the following topics:
Applications of 3D and AR in Digital Commerce,
Benefits of 3D and AR,
Tools to create, manage and publish 3D and AR in Digital Commerce.
1. MAY 2016
WWW.WATEREFFICIENCY.NET
MDM | Wastewater | Spectroscopy
THE JOURNAL FOR WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
WATEREFFICIENCY
OPTIMIZING
IRRIGATION
Monitoring
Systems Save
Water and Dollars
CORROSION
CONTROL
LEAK DETECTION
WATER REUSE
2. 14 WATER EFFICIENCY WWW.WATEREFFICIENCY.NET
ISTOCK/RAPIDEYE
C
ommercial growers, property managers, and
landscapers can attest to how sophisticated and
beneficial irrigation monitoring has become in
terms of optimizing water consumption and plant
growth, and maximizing operational profitability.
Two examples from California—where much of
the nation’s food supply is produced but where
water availability remains a critical public policy issue—
illustrate how irrigation monitoring and control systems can
serve as a valuable business tool.
Larry Peltzer, a fourth-generation citrus grower and
owner of LRP Orange Co. in Visalia, CA, reduced watering
time and frequency and improved water efficiency by up to
40% by using wireless irrigation monitoring stations that
Optimizing Irrigation
Irrigation monitoring systems save water and dollars—
and often maximize the health of crops, plants, and turf.
By Don Talend
4. 16 WATER EFFICIENCY WWW.WATEREFFICIENCY.NET
and greener. Acclima helps these customers to understand
that less water allows plants’ roots receive more oxygen and
nutrients, the latter of which do not get washed away into the
subsoil.
True irrigation monitoring that allows optimization
of inputs based on soil moisture content rather than pro-
grammed watering times relies on the use of a critical com-
ponent of a monitoring system: the soil moisture sensor. This
unit signals an irrigation controller when to water plants via
sprinklers, drip irrigation tubing, and the like. Increasingly,
wireless telemetry stations tie together systems on multiple
sites, giving irrigation managers the ability to monitor the
sites from a central location.
In late 2012, Rain Bird acquired the ClimateMinder
system, which consists of sensors, wireless telemetry stations,
and controllers. The system is designed with multi-platform
control, i.e., users can control pumps, valves, and fertilizer
injectors using a phone, computer, or tablet. Alerts can be set
up for sudden changes to field conditions and it is possible to
set up daily or weekly reports of field conditions.
In 2014, Rain Bird released a multi-ranch dashboard
that allows growers to review field data from all of their
weather and soil moisture stations using a Web-enabled
computer or mobile device. The data from multiple locations
are displayed on one Web page. The information is based
on geolocation that identifies areas that require attention in
the form of colored map icons and soil moisture indicators
Automated applied water reports for the multiple locations
can be sent to the Natural Resource Conservation Agency
or other regulatory agencies.
Rain Bird reports that it offers growers a choice of the
approach to determining plant water needs: measuring the
total water volume in the soil or measuring the water poten-
tial or tension. The ClimateMinder System measures EC, soil
moisture, and soil temperature in real time. EC measurement
merits explanation. The salinity level of water impacts EC,
auditing and consultation company in central California,
got a call from a property management company in central
California that was struggling to achieve such a balance.
One of the company’s properties was using an exces-
sive volume of irrigation water to maintain vibrant greenery.
The appearance of the property was critical to the property
owner, but the property manager was getting socked with
water bills totaling thousands of dollars every month. A
particularly problematic aspect of the billing was that the
water rates were graduated, so the rate escalated as consump-
tion increased. The property manager knew that something
needed to be done, and fast. He reached out to Water Savers
to see if the company could suggest a way to correct the
situation.
After completing a site survey, Bryan came up with a
solution: deploy a closed-loop irrigation system utilizing
Acclima soil moisture sensors and controllers. This system
would give the lawn precisely the amount of water needed.
Bryan had installed similar systems on other properties and
obtained significant savings for the property owners.
At this site, Water Savers installed five controllers and
one or two sensors per controller. The system yielded an
economic benefit in the first month, one that surprised
Bryan, who has a great deal of experience with such systems.
Within the first month of installation, the system yielded a
savings of 85% compared with the same month the previous
year. Further, after 10 months of system utilization, the aver-
age savings were about 40–50%. A supplementary benefit
of installing the system was that it allowed Water Savers
to identify weak points in the system, i.e., weak sprinkler
heads. The company replaced those sprinkler heads with
units that provided more even distribution of water over the
property, contributing to the savings.
OPTIMIZATION RELIES ON SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS
Ultimately, irrigation monitoring systems are all about
A particularly problematic aspect
of the billing was that the water
rates were graduated, so the
rate escalated as consumption
increased. The property
manager knew that something
needed to be done, and fast.
I’mThereWhen
YouNeedMe
Innovations in Water Monitoring
Availableforpurchaseorrent.
Visitin-situ.com/we
tolearnmore.
TheNew
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Be Mobile. | Be Smart. | Be In-Situ.I N - S I T U. CO M / W E
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5. MAY 2016 WATER EFFICIENCY 17
receiving optimal outputs
(plant growth, operational prof-
itability) from optimal inputs (water
and fertilizer). More and more users are
becoming aware that the Law of Diminishing
Returns applies to the application of these inputs
after a certain thresh-
old. Monitoring systems
serve the valuable role
of identifying where
optimal input thresh-
olds exist. Finding that
threshold and adjust-
ing inputs accordingly
results in successful
growing and resource
management—the latter
is increasingly critical
as some inputs become
more scarce and
regulations governing
their use grow stricter
in many parts of the
country.
The idea of actu-
ally reducing inputs
and getting healthier
plants does take some getting used to, according to Acclima’s
founder and chairman, Scott Anderson. He notes that many
of his customers reap the benefits of water and financial sav-
ings by using his irrigation monitoring systems and certainly
appreciate them. But, says Anderson, many customers are
surprised to see that their lawns and plants become healthier,
Acclima’s closed-loop irri-
gation system uses data
collected by the sensors
to set the optimal
moisture threshold. The
controller applies water
if the moisture reading is
lower than the threshold.
Below: Acclima’s
SDI-12 Digital TDT soil
moisture sensor
ACCLIMA
Rising water costs, restrictions, and incentives to pull out turf are forcing your customers to make
changes they don’t want to make. Toro WaterSmart®
products offer options to upgrade existing
systems to be more efficient, so they can keep their landscape the way they like it.
Learn more at: www.toro.com/irrigation
TORO WATERSMART®
IRRIGATION SOLUTIONS
HIGH EFFICIENCY WATER DISTRIBUTION
AUTOMATED WATERING ADJUSTMENTS
UPGRADE TO A SMARTER SYSTEM
6. 18 WATER EFFICIENCY WWW.WATEREFFICIENCY.NET
which impacts plant growth
in two ways. First, the specific
toxicity of a particular ion
such as sodium can affect
plant growth. Second, higher
osmotic pressure around the
roots prevents efficient water
absorption by the plant.
The ClimateMinder
system is equipped with
multi-sensor profile probes,
water potential sensors, and
tensiometers, the latter of
which measures the tension
or suction that plants’ roots
must exert to extract water
from the soil. This tension is
a direct measure of the avail-
ability of water to a plant.
The system uses evapotrans-
piration or tension data to
help growers determine how
much water is needed and
EC measurements in the soil
indicate the necessary level
of fertigation.
The manufacturer’s profile probe, designed for use with
most permanent crops, can be buried up to 5 feet below
grade, allowing for measurements of deep water and applica-
tion management. Its MPS-2 Dielectric Water Potential and
Temperature Sensor is designed to be maintenance-free and
measure a wide range of soil water potentials.
Rain Bird also offers three models of volumetric water
content (VWC) sensors. The 10HS Soil Moisture Sensor mea-
sures VWC only. The three-pronged 5TE Soil Moisture Sensor
measures VWC, temperature, and EC using high-frequency
oscillation and patented signal filtering. A new model, the
GS3 Soil Moisture Sensor, also measures VWC, temperature,
and EC, and has stainless steel needles with extended surface
area to optimize EC measurements and minimize substrate
disturbance during insertion.
Rain Bird has two models of controllers: the Climate-
Minder and the ESP-LX Series. Both controllers have a
built-in cellular modem for remote access through a Web
interface on a computer or device such as iPhone or iPad.
The ESP-LXME is expandable from eight to 48 stations with
four module slots that are compatible with eight-station or
12-station modules. The ESP-LXD has the capacity to expand
from 50 stations to up to 200 stations.
Acclima’s irrigation control systems are designed for
either research or closed-loop commercial turf irrigation
applications. SDI-12 Soil Mois-
ture Sensors with Precision
Temperature suit the former
category and the SC24/36
Irrigation Controller and 24-volt
Time Domain Transmissometry
(TDT) Sensor suit the latter.
The SDI-12 sensor, used in
research applications, is equipped
with Digital TDT technology.
The TDT principle is based on
measuring the time it takes an
electromagnetic wave to follow a
waveguide, i.e., electromagnetic
Monitoring systems serve the valuable role of
identifying where optimal input thresholds
exist. Finding that threshold and adjusting
inputs accordingly results in successful
growing and resource management.
Rain Bird’s ClimateMinder system
measures the total water volume
in the soil, or the water potential.
PHOTOS:RAINBIRD
7. MAY 2016 WATER EFFICIENCY 19
feed line, through the soil. The
waveform is digitized to exclude
the effects of EC, which can cause
inaccurate readings that lead to
significant over- or under-watering,
thus providing a reliable reading of the volumetric soil
moisture content.
The portable DataSnap SDI-12 data logger accommo-
dates as many as 10 SDI-12 sensors. Acclima’s SnapView soft-
ware manages multiple connections and can display data in
either tabular or graph formats. The data logger also allows
growers to take manual readings.
Another Acclima soil moisture sensor, the TDR-315,
is a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR). Its sensor head is
equipped with a microcomputer with preloaded interpreting
software. The sensor reports soil volumetric water content
(VWC), temperature, permittivity (an electrical character-
istic of soil that indicates its VWC), and EC, which can be a
marker for nitrogen in the soil.
The TDR-315 uses a three-element waveguide embedded in
the soil. A fast-rising electromagnetic wave is propagated down
the center electrode and reflects back off the end. According to
Steve Evett, a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil sci-
entist, this time measurement accurately yields the volumetric
water content of the soil. This allows a determination of the rate
of water uptake through the soil to plant roots.
Evett reports that soil scientists at the USDA have
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determined that the sensor’s response
is essentially identical to traditional
TDR but has significantly less attenua-
tion than traditional TDR, which uses a
separate console, step function genera-
tor, and coaxial cable that signals the
console. The coaxial cable attenuates
the wave and makes readings much less
resolving. The TDR-315 is designed to
eliminate the need for the separate sys-
tem components and reduce the attenu-
ation of traditional TDR. The manufac-
turer’s website cites studies featuring its
TDR and TDT sensors, including those
made public at the MOISST conference
at Oklahoma State University in 2015,
a 2005 Journal of Hydrology article, and
the 24th Annual Central Plains Irriga-
tion Conference in Colby, KS, in 2012.
Used in closed-loop irrigation
applications, the manufacturer’s 24-volt
version of the Digital TDT Sensor reads
soil water content, soil temperature,
and soil conductivity and is designed
for permanent installation without the
need for maintenance. It includes an
internal zone switch for wiring into a
nearby valve box. Using patented digital
TDT technology, the unit measures the
travel time of electromagnetic pulses
through the soil from which permittiv-
ity and water content are calculated.
The manufacturer refers to a study
by Diganta Adhikari and Dave Goora-
hoo of the California State University,
Fresno Center for Irrigation Technol-
ogy, “Response of Acclima Digital
Mazzei Injector Corp.’s differential pressure injector is designed to facilitate fertigation.
The increasing importance of water
resource protection will drive future
developments in fertigation.
PHOTOS:MAZZEIINJECTORCORP.
9. MAY 2016 WATER EFFICIENCY 21
TDT probe to Soil Moisture and Elec-
trical Conductivity,” on the accuracy of
the Digital TDT Sensor on sandy loam
soils holding varying degrees of EC, i.e.
fertilizers.
Acclima’s closed-loop irrigation
controllers receive feedback from
Acclima irrigation sensors. They operate
off of 24 volts of alternating current and
communicate over a proprietary proto-
col. SC24 and SC36 controllers support
0 to 24 or 36 soil moisture sensors,
respectively, with sensor sharing, which
allows control of multiple zones by a
single sensor and simultaneous watering
of up to four zones. The units suit both
drip zones and spray zones. Growers set
each zone to sensor or timed control;
for the former, the controller uses data
from Digital TDT Moisture Sensors.
Seasonal water budgets accommodate
timed zones. Each sensor adds a sensor
program to the system with six start
times each and up to 40 total programs
are available. Growers can program
customized, daily, odd day, even day,
and every -nth day watering with “n”
ranging from two to 31 days. Acclima
cites a four-year University of Florida
study revealing the water savings and
fully automated quality of its closed-
loop irrigation system.
Acclima soil moisture sensors and
controllers work together to monitor
and control the moisture of the root
zone of lawns and other landscape
plants. Using data collected by the
sensors, the optimal moisture thresh-
old is set to the percentage equivalent
to slightly below the field capacity,
i.e., moisture holding capacity of the
soil. The controller applies water if
the moisture reading is lower than the
threshold.
REGULATIONS DRIVE FERTIGATION
DEVELOPMENTS
Moisture sensors that measure soil
properties such as EC give growers
a tool for practicing fertigation—
applying fertilizer in water only as
it is needed at the plant root zone to
maximize plant absorption and reduce
runoff. The increasing importance of
water resource protection will drive the
development of new regulations and
thus future developments in fertigation,
according to Mazzei Injector Corp.,
a provider of mixing and contacting
technologies for irrigation, chemiga-
tion, and fertigation.
Mazzei cites instances of fertilizer
runoff into surface waters causing the
eutrophication of the receiving water
bodies, killing fish, and causing algal
blooms that have threatened drinking
water supplies. Toledo, OH, experi-
enced this with Lake Erie in 2014.
California has enacted the Sustain-
able Groundwater Management Act to
protect its diminishing groundwater
supplies from continued contamination
by directing farmers to track and record
their fertilizer, nutrient, and pesticide
inputs. Compliance will require more
precise application of these crop inputs
with a focus on the recordkeeping
aspect of the fertigation technology.
The company’s Venturi differential
pressure injector is equipped with inter-
nal mixing vanes. The unit is designed
to maximize injector efficiency, suc-
tion capacity, and mixing capabilities
to yield even distribution of product
throughout the irrigation system. The
absence of moving parts is intended to
result in lower maintenance.
The manufacturer reports that it
has developed a prototype of a new
injector technology called Tru-Blend,
a proportional-feed fertigation system
that “spoon-feeds” plants a precise
amount of fertilizer through the grow-
ing cycle, enhancing crop nutrition and
safeguarding water supplies. Mazzei
plans to field-test the new technology
this year. WE
Don Talend is a writer and frequent
contributor to Water Efficiency.
for related articles:
www.waterefficiency.net
A system diagram shows
injector utilization.