Maximum Amount of Yield with Minimum Amount of Water

Keep it on? Turn it off?  Terminate irrigation too soon and seed size decreases, which results in lower yields. Terminate too late, and it’s a waste of  time and resources. To find the right balance, take the guesswork out of scheduling irrigations with soil-moisture sensors. 

Irrigation is not a new idea to the South, but the way farmers approach it is. Data show the water level in the Delta’s aquifer is declining, but water conservation could allow the aquifer to replenish itself in the future. Mississippi farmers are starting to realize the need to save water, and many are becoming enthusiastic users of soil-moisture sensors and other helpful tools. 

As farmers are continuously asked to do their part to alleviate pressure on the aquifer, they’re looking to new, more efficient irrigation technologies. 

“In Mississippi, our farmers are operating in a region where we have withdrawal-restriction regulations,” says Jason Krutz, Mississippi State University irrigation specialist. “When you’re operating in a region where the U.S. is regulating, you want to make sure you’re giving the crop what it needs, when it needs it.” 

Soil-moisture sensors help farmers determine moisture by depth, active rooting zone and infiltration depth. Through the use of moisture sensors, farmers can better time their irrigation to crop demand, rather than setting a schedule and maintaining it throughout the growing season.

“Soil-moisture sensors are more than beneficial to our farmers in Mississippi,” Krutz says. “Not only do soil moisture sensors have economic benefits, they also have a long-term, environmentally sustainable element as well.” 

Sensors can help farmers cut their water use by 25 to 50 percent which can save them about $10 per acre. The voluntary adoption of these conservation tools and technologies should provide a significant contribution to the conservation of the Delta’s water resources. 

The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) continues taking big steps toward curtailing the amount of water drawn from the alluvial aquifer for agricultural irrigation. Under its Sustainable Irrigation Project (SIP), MSPB is highlighting and promoting the use of practices and tools that will reduce the amount of irrigation water applied to the state’s crop acres, which is why farmers across Mississippi have committed to the program and are becoming more involved in the irrigation-water-conservation effort. Farmers can visit mssoy.org for more information on SIP and sustainable irrigation practices.