Exhibitors List

Exhibitors List

2 Reasons to Focus on Droplet Size & Soil Texture When Selecting a Sprinkler

You can your rotate crops and alter your farming practices but unless you pack up and move your farm you can’t change your soil texture. Although there are sprinklers that claim they are crop specific, the reality is that proper sprinkler selection is much more complex than simply determining how much water a certain crop generally needs.

If you’ve recently taken a look at our pivot products literature you may have noticed our inclusion of the soil triangle. Our triangle (shown left) includes black dots representative of basic droplet sizes and based on prevalent field soil texture – going from large, medium to small – to help give you an idea of what deflector or pad you should select for your sprinkler.

Why do we include this?

Soil texture is an important soil characteristic that drives crop production and field management. While there are various considerations to take when selecting a sprinkler, there are two big reasons to put priority on droplet size and soil texture.

Application Intensity

As water droplets are distributed over soil, the structure and infiltration rate of the soil become altered. To keep soil close to its pre-irrigation state, you can distribute water with low application intensity to reduce the kinetic impact of droplets. Select an adequate droplet size according to your soil texture to help it maintain its structure. Droplets that are too large and have a higher kinetic energy can cause surface sealing and lead to erosion or inefficient irrigation. Higher application intensity also runs the risk of permanently damaging soil’s structure by rearranging its composition. In general, tighter soils benefit from smaller droplets while looser soils require larger droplets.

Application Rate

Water infiltrates soil’s pores at varying rates depending on texture. If you have dense clay soils, then water will slowly seep down to the root zones while sandy soils will quickly absorb water. If application rates exceed soil infiltration rates, overwatering and runoff are likely to occur. Since infiltration and percolation rates vary by soil type, the application rate of water you need for a crop planted in sandy soil will differ from the rate needed if you plant the same crop in silt loam, for example. You typically need a higher rate when irrigating in sandy soils even when a crops’ water requirements are the same. A professionally designed sprinkler package will provide the right application rate to help preserve proper soil structure and meet the needs of your crop.

——————————————-
Sources

 

Posted on May 23, 2013 by nicole (http://www.senninger.com/2013/05/23/2-reasons-to-focus-on-droplet-size-soil-texture-when-selecting-a-sprinkler/)

Cornell University Agronomy Fact Sheet #29 “Soil Texture”http://water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/factsheet29.pdf

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation “Soil and Water Relationships”http://www.noble.org/ag/soils/soilwaterrelationships/

Soil Quality for Environmental Health “Infiltration” http://soilquality.org/indicators/infiltration.html

USAID launches agriculture innovation programme

May 30, 2013

The US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) launched the Agricultural Innovation Program to expand the use of modern technologies in Pakistan's agricultural sector.

"Boosting Pakistan's economy is one of our top assistance priorities. Getting new and improved technologies and practices into farmers' hands in the next few years will play a major role in helping Pakistan address agriculture needs that will enhance economic development in the country," said USAID Country Director Jonathan M. Conly. USAID's Agriculture Innovation Program aims to increase agricultural productivity and quality that will improve the quality for consumers and help create more jobs on farms throughout Pakistan.

Currently, Pakistan's agricultural sector is a key part of Pakistan's economy but it is not growing at a pace that meets its potential. "Pakistan's agricultural productivity has fallen behind comparable countries with similar agro-ecologies," said Thomas Lumpkin, Director General of CIMMYT. "There is a tremendous potential for growth, but we must act now."

Shahid Masood, Member (Plant Sciences), PARC, said: "The project will develop a science-driven model to improve the livelihoods of Pakistan's agricultural producers, and enable economic growth. The international and Pakistani partners involved in this effort are dedicated to the research, collaboration and investments that will ensure success."

Through this new four-year $30 million project, USAID will sponsor research to encourage adoption of new technologies in agriculture. To date, 800,000 rural families have increased yields and started earning better incomes through USAID programs. News Network International

source : Zaraimedia Team May 30th, 2013 News

 

Controlling Powdery Mildew with Homemade Spray

If you are seeing powdery-looking patches on the foliage of your plants, you most likely have a case of the very common powdery mildew fungal disease. Here is a simple spray for controlling the spread of the fungus. It won't get rid of the fungus on leaves that already have it, but it will prevent it from spreading to the rest of the plant.

Ingredients:

    1 gallon of water

    1 tablespoon of baking soda

    1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

    1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid

Mix the ingredients together and add them to a spray bottle. Spray your plants weekly, preferably on overcast days to prevent it from burning the foliage. 

source : http://pakagri.blogspot.com/2013/05/controlling-powdery-mildew-with.html