Reporting On Irrigation

Collecting and recording data is extremely important as it helps to establish a history of events thereby assisting with the management of the irrigation. There is a saying: “there is no management without measurement”. It is equally important to record measurements. The soil-water content is measured to determine if the stand time is adequate. By recording the soil water content over a period of time, the soil characteristics can be determined and the irrigation schedule can be tuned accordingly. Here is a list of possible records:

Daily records are the records of block pressures, flow-rates, amp meter readings, hour meter readings, start-up and shut-down inspections and readings, fertiliser levels, readings linked to fertigation like pH and EC and system performance checks such as CU tests. Records like these are contained in a logbook for the irrigation system. The recorded data is useful to identify trends, for instance, water use per week and an increase in flushing cycles which can help to make decisions proactively.

Weather station and scheduling equipment data is recorded to assist with irrigation scheduling. It is essential that these records at the very least are kept on every farm.

Yield data is used to determine if the irrigation was effective or not during the season.

Labour records include labour used for irrigation, clock-in and -out times, job descriptions, and records of work done by each worker. The recording of this data helps to manage workers effectively as the man-hours spent on a task can be determined.

Most data is initially captured by hand, for which a logbook, or a form that has been designed for that specific purpose, is used. Other data is captured electronically, such as from weather stations and probes which must be downloaded onto a computer.

Example of a Daily Report

Example of Weather Data