LEB5027 - Precision Irrigation

Credit hours

Instructor
Rubens Duarte Coelho

Objective
This course aims to introduce Precision Agriculture technology in Pressurized Irrigation. The traditional
concept of high uniformity of water application in an irrigation equipment will be evolving in the coming
years for the application with variable and controlled uniformity in the irrigated area, taking into account
the spatial variability of natural precipitation, water availability in the soil, plant water consumption (leaf
area differentiation) and water table depth in the irrigated area. Special emphasis will also be given to
the use of remote sensing technologies to detect the spatial and temporal variability of plant biomass in
irrigated areas. The concept of Precision Irrigation should be based on ecophysiological models of
simulation of plant growth, in such a way as to allow the delineation of management zones with greater
precision, based on the probable differential accumulation of biomass throughout the growing season of
the crops .

Content
1- History and Perspectives of Precision Irrigation in Brazil and in the World; 2 - Spatial and Temporal
Variability of Crop Water Demand, 3 - Irrigation Equipment Operating under Variable Rate Condition; 4 -
Project Considerations for Precision Irrigation under Georeferencing Condition, 5 - Basic Concepts of
Geostatistics (Kriging and Co-kriging); 6 - Experimentation in Precision Irrigation: State of the Art; 7 -
Economic Feasibility of Precision Irrigation. 8 - Plant Growth Simulation Models: (DSSAT / APSIM), 9 -
Use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to Capture Thermal and Multispectral Images, 10 - Estimation
of Spatial Variability of Evapotranspiration on a Macroscale (Sebal Model) with Database of Remote
Sensing and Automated Meteorological Stations.

Bibliography
Aiden Banks, Scott F. Melves.Horizons in Crop Production: Precision Agriculture and No-till Farming
(Agriculture Issues and Policies). 70 p. Publisher: Nova Science Publishers 2012.
AL-KUFAISHI, S. A.; BLACKMORE, B. S.; SOURELL, H. The feasibility of using variable rate water
application under a center pivot irrigation system. Irrigation and Drainage Systems, v. 20, p.317-327,
august, 2006.
DeBOER, J.L.; GRIFFIN, T. Adoption and profitability of precision agriculture worldwide. In: Congresso
Brasileiro De Agricultura De Precisão. Anais, Piracicaba, SP, Universidade de São Paulo/Escola Superior
de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, 2006.
DEJONGE, K.C.; KALEITA, A.L.; THORP, K.R. Simulating the effects of spatially irrigation on corn yields,
costs, and revenue in Iowa. Science Direct Journal, Agricultural Water Management, vol.92, p.99-109,
2007.
DUKES, M. D.; PERRY, C. Uniformity testing of variable-rate center pivot irrigation control systems.
Precision Agriculture, v. 7, p. 205-218, 2006.
EVANS, D.E.; SADLER, E.J.; CAMP, C.R.; MILLEN, J.A. Spatial canopy temperature measurements using
center pivot mounted IRTS. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Precision Agriculture,
p.1-11, 2000.
EVANS, R.G.; HAN, G.S.; SCHNEIDER, S.M.; KROEGER, M.W. Precision center pivot irrigation for
efficient use of water and nitrogen. In: Proc. 3rd international Conference on Precision Agriculture, eds.
P.C.Robert, R.H.Rust, and W.E.Larson, 75-84. Madison, WI.:ASA, 1996.
EVANS, R.G.; HARTING, G.B. Precision irrigation with center pivot systems on potatoes. In: Proc. ASCE
International Water Resources Engineering Conference. Seattle, WA, 1999.
FRAISSE, C. W.; HEERMANN, D. F.; DUKE, H. R. Simulation of variable water application with linearmove
irrigation systems. Transactions of the ASAE, v.38, n.5, p. 1371-1376, 1995.
GUNDIM, ALICE DA SILVA ; MELO, VERÔNICA GASPAR MARTINS LEITE DE ; Coelho, Rubens Duarte ;
SILVA, JANDERSON PEDRO DA ; ROCHA, MARCOS PAULO ALVES DA ; FRANÇA, ANA CAROLINA
FERREIRA ; CONCEIÇÃO, ANA MICHELE PEREIRA DA . Precision irrigation trends and perspectives: a
review. CIÊNCIA RURAL , v. 53, p. 1-18, 2023.
Jean-Paul Chil´s, Pierre Delfiner. Geostatistics: Modeling Spatial Uncertainty (Wiley Series in Probability
and Statistics). Wiley; 2 edition April 3, 2012.
HEERMANN, D.F.; BUCHLEITER, G.W.; BAUSCH, W.C.; STAHL, K. Nondifferential GPS for use on moving
irrigation systems. In: Proc. of 1st European Conf. on Precision Agriculture (ECPA), Warwick University,
UK, v.2, p.567-574, 1997.
HEERMANN,D.F; HOETING,J.; THOMPSON,S.E.; DUKE,H.R.; WESTFALL,D.G.; BUCHLEITER,G.W;
WESTRA,P.; PEAIRS,F.B.; FLEMING,K. Interdisciplinary irrigated precision farming research. Precision
Agriculture, v. 3, p. 47-61, 2002.
KING, B.A.; McCANN, I.R.; EBERLEIN, C.V.; STARK, J.C. Computer control system for spatially varied
water and chemical application studies with continuous move irrigation systems. Computers and
Inglês:
1- History and Perspectives of Precision Irrigation in Brazil and in the World; 2 - Spatial and Temporal
Variability of Crop Water Demand, 3 - Irrigation Equipment Operating under Variable Rate Condition; 4 -
Project Considerations for Precision Irrigation under Georeferencing Condition, 5 - Basic Concepts of
Geostatistics (Kriging and Co-kriging); 6 - Experimentation in Precision Irrigation: State of the Art; 7 -
Economic Feasibility of Precision Irrigation. 8 - Plant Growth Simulation Models: (DSSAT / APSIM), 9 -
Use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to Capture Thermal and Multispectral Images, 10 - Estimation
of Spatial Variability of Evapotranspiration on a Macroscale (Sebal Model) with Database of Remote
Sensing and Automated Meteorological Stations.
CRITÉRIOS DE AVALIAÇÃO (máximo 160 caracteres)
Português:
Trabalhos Aplicados: 1) Seleção de Referências Bibliográficas; 2) Escrita de artigo científico no formato
de "Review" sobre assunto seleciconado; 3) Trabalho de Pesquisa Aplicado em Manejo da Irrigação.
Eventualmente a critério do docente / Prova teórica.
Inglês:
Applied Works: 1) Selection of Bibliographical References; 2) Writing a scientific article in the "Review"
format on a selected subject; 3) Applied Research Work on Irrigation Management. Eventually at the
discretion of the teacher / Theoretical test.
Eletronics in Agriculture, v. 24, p. 177-194, 1999.
KING, B.A.; STARK, J.C.; McCANN, I.R.; WESTERMAN, D.T. Spatially varied nitrogen application through
a center pivot irrigation system. In: Proc. 3rd international Conference on Precision Agriculture, eds.
P.C.Robert, R.H.Rust, and W.E.Larson, 85-94. Madison, WI.:ASA, 1996.
KING, B.A.; WALL, R.W. Supervisory control and data acquisition system for site-specific center pivot
irrigation. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, v.14, n.2, p. 135-144, 1998.
KING, B.A.; WALL, R.W.; KINCAID, D.C.; WESTERMANN, D.T. Field Testing of a variable rate sprinkler
and control system for site-specific water and nutrient application. Applied Engineering in Agriculture,
v.21, n.5, p. 847-853, 2005.
OLIVEIRA, C.W.; YODER, R.E.; WILKERSON, J.B.; YODER, D.C.; LARSON, J.A. Delineation of
management units for site-specific irrigation. ASAE Paper 032145, 2003.
OLSON, K. Precision agriculture: current economic and environmental issues. In: Sixth Joint Conference
on Food, Agriculture and the Environment. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. 31 Aug – 2 Sept 1998.
PETERS, R.T.; EVETT, S.R. Spatial and temporal analysis of crop conditions using multiple canopy
temperature maps created with center-pivot-mounted infrared thermometers. Transactions of ASABE,
v.50, n.3, p.919-927, 2007.
PETERS, R.T.; EVETT, S.R. Using low-cost GPS receivers for determining field position of mechanized
irrigation systems. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, v.21, n.5, p. 841-845, 2005.
SADLER, E. J.; CAMP, C. R.; EVANS, D. E.; MILLEN, J.A. Spatial variation of corn response to irrigation.
Transactions of the ASAE, v.45, n.6, p. 1869-1881, 2002.
SADLER, E. J.; EVANS, R. G.; STONE, K. C.; CAMP, C. R. Opportunities for conservation with precision
irrigation. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v.60, n.6, p. 371-379, 2005.
SADLER, E.J.; CAMP, C.R.; EVANS, D.E.; URSEY, L.J. A site-specific center pivot irrigation system for
highly variable coastal plain soils. In: Proc. 3rd international Conference on Precision Agriculture, eds.
P.C.Robert, R.H.Rust, and W.E.Larson, 827-834. Madison, WI.:ASA, 1996.
SADLER, E.J.; EVANS, R.G.; BUCHLEITER, G.W.; KING, B.A.; CAMP, C.R. Design considerations for site
specific irrigation: In: Proceedings of the 4th National Irrigation Symposium, ASAE. Phoenix, Arizona.
November, 2000.
STARR, G.C. Assessing temporal stability and spatial variability of soil water patterns with implications
for precision water management. Science Direct Journal, Agricultural Water Management, vol.72, p.223-
243, 2005.
Steve McKillup , Melinda Darby Dyar. Geostatistics Explained: An Introductory Guide for Earth
Scientists. 412 pages. Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (April 30, 2010)
STONE, K. C.; SADLER, E. J.; MILLEN, J. A.; EVANS, D. E.; CAMP, C. R. Water flow rates from a sitespecific
irrigation system. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, v.22, n.1, p. 73-78, 2006.