Utilizing Soil Moisture and Microclimate Monitoring Technology to Reduce Water and Energy Needs and Improve Sugar Beet Crop Production for Producers in the Big Horn Basin Region of Wyoming

Utilizing Soil Moisture and Microclimate Monitoring Technology to Reduce Water and Energy Needs and Improve Sugar Beet Crop Production for Producers in the Big Horn Basin Region of Wyoming

Summary

The project entailed installing fifteen sets of environmental monitors on five separate farms with producers growing sugar beets under center pivot sprinkler systems in Washakie County, Wyoming. The environmental monitors consisted of soil moisture sensors at three depths, a relative humidity/temperature sensor, a rain gauge sensor, and a data logger that records and stores the sensor data. The data were downloaded to a laptop computer and/or base station computer where they could be viewed in table or graphing formats.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The purpose was to provide real-time data that could be utilized to assist the producers with irrigation scheduling, controlling soil moisture at harvest time, and to monitor the temperature and humidity factors that affect the development of Cercospora Leaf Spot in sugar beet crops.

Cercospora Leaf Spot is a fungal infection that can spread to infect an entire field if not caught early and treated with fungicide. Since center pivot irrigation can increase the humidity in a field, Cercospora outbreaks have increased in recent years with the addition of center pivot systems. Information on field conditions can alert producers to conditions that are conducive to the growth of the fungus, and enable them to inspect the fields for Cercospora.

Three sets of sensors were installed on each of the five cooperators farms in the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. The sensors purchased with the grant funding were installed in beet crops that were irrigated with center pivot sprinkler systems. In addition to these sensor sets, two of the cooperators purchased more sensors and installed them in barley fields.

The placement of the sensors was at the discretion of the cooperators. WCCD wanted the cooperators to use the sensors as a tool to gain information from fields that that they had questions or concerns about. Some cooperators had specific areas in a field that they were interested in, i.e. it was generally wetter/drier than other parts of a field. Others had a field that they considered particularly susceptible to Cercospora. One cooperator was changing tillage practices and was interested in knowing if infiltration was noticeably different. One cooperator installed all three sets of sensors in the same field that had more of a slope than his other center pivot fields.

There were two different systems that could be used for data collection: one was a mobile system requiring a laptop computer; the other was a base station system. Four of the cooperators used the mobile system and one used a base station system.

In addition to the cooperators being able to access their data, WCCD collected all the data over the course of the two field seasons. These data were compiled and reviewed by WCCD personnel and the NRCS District Conservationist. Maps of the sensor locations and soil types were produced by WCCD personnel. Soils information from the NRCS Soils Database was collected for the different soils types.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Outreach for this project was accomplished with presentations at the February 2009 WESTI Ag Days, an annual workshop in Worland for Big Horn Basin ag producers, the January, 2009 Montana/Wyoming Sugar Beet Symposium in Billings, MT, and the October, 2009 annual meeting of the Wyoming Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in Cody, Wyoming. (see attached agendas) The presentations covered the history of the project, a project overview, the Westenr SARE grant information and budget, review of the data from one operation’s set of sensors, and a review of what we learned both positive and negative. Attendance in Billings was approximately 240 and was a mixture of producrs and ag industry professionals; attendance at WESTI was 20 producers, and attendance in Cody was 40-45 mainly consisting of conservation professionals.

On September 1, 2009 a field day was held on the McKamey farm to explain the use of the micro-climate sensors in the field. A sample set of sensors was set up at the edge of a field, which contained a working set of sensors. The sample set of sensors demonstrated the proper installation process, and data from the working sensors were downloaded and displayed on a laptop computer. The WCCD Education Specialist and NRCS District Conservationist explained the information from the sensors and the use of the software applications. Cooperator Dave McKamey was on hand to discuss how he was utilizing the information from the sensors in his operation.

WCCD produced a brochure in December of 2009 that was direct mailed to 400 Big Horn Basin producers. In addition, WCCD mailed multiple copies to the five other Conservation Districts in the basin

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

During the 2008 growing season the cooperators did not change any of their irrigations based on the soil moisture data and no producers reported having any Cercospora outbreaks in the fields that the sensors were installed in. This season was spent learning about using the equipment and learning to understand the data.

During the 2009 growing season the cooperators were still not confident making changes based solely on the soil moisture data, admitting that they needed to take more time reviewing the data to understand what the data were telling them. However, one cooperator felt comfortable enough with the sensor data to make some late season changes in his irrigation to ready a field for harvest. This proved to be advantageous, as early in the 2009 harvest the Big Horn Basin received a heavy wet snow that hampered harvest efforts basin wide.

In 2009, there were outbreaks of Cercospora in the area, and WCCD and the cooperators learned a valuable lesson about sensor installation; in 2008 the project experienced issues with the precipitation gauge being covered by the sugar beet canopy, so for 2009 it was agreed that mounting the precipitation gauge above the canopy would solve the problem. Unfortunately, some of the cooperators also moved the temperature and humidity sensors above the canopy as well, so on those fields the data that were recorded were not reflecting the climate where Cercospora outbreak begins. The sensors that were below the canopy in 2009 did reflect conditions that were in the range to be of suspicion.

Using the sensor precipitation data was one component that all of the cooperators found useful. While all have rain gauges on their farms, seeing the information varying in different fields helped them know if they could postpone regular irrigations because of precipitation events.

In addition, they were able to see any differences between what the center pivot was set to apply and what was reaching the precipitation gauge. This information helped them keep track of nozzle wear on the pivot.

In review of these data WCCD found a few notable pieces of information:
Most fields showed an accumulation of soil moisture at the 30-inch depth over the course of a growing season. In one field the accumulation occurred almost a month earlier than in the others. In speaking with that cooperator WCCD found out that the field had drains that had been installed many years ago as a result of poor drainage, while it doesn’t seem to be an issue at present it merits further use of sensors in that field in years to come to see what happens with other crops.

While the Worland area has little wind, the windy days were evident in the precipitation data. On one windy day one field showed that approximately two-thirds of the regular irrigation application reached the gauge.

Overall the outcome of the project was positive. Any type of new technology requires time for the users to acquaint themselves with its use. Much of what was learned by the participants in this project was how to make the best use of the equipment and software and to begin to understand what the data were telling them. WCCD observed that for most of the cooperators this was difficult. Even though the software seemed straight forward to the project coordinator and the technical advisors, most of the cooperators have not spent as much time working with computers and it was frustrating for them. Some of the cooperators were determined and spent the time necessary to learn the software and review the data. Two of the cooperators had children who are now farming with them, and they turned the use of the sensors over to the younger generation, for whom working with the computer and understanding the information appeared to be easier.

The project confirmed that the sensors are capable of producing the information required to identify the conditions that are conducive to Cercospora when they are installed below the sugar beet canopy.

The local NRCS office now has more detailed information on water movement through the differing types of local soils that can be used to aid in conservation planning in the future.

While this type of information is new to local producers, WCCD believes that with continued use and an increasing comfort level with the information the sensors provide, significant strides can be made in water conservation.

WCCD will strongly recommend the use of the sensors, but since this type of equipment requires a financial investment by a producer, WCCD will stress the importance of being dedicated to spending the time necessary to make their use worthwhile. In addition, WCCD will continue to support any area producers interested in the use the this technology.

The local NRCS office will continue to promote the use of soil moisture sensors for Environmental Quality Incentives Program contracts that fund irrigation water management and ag technology practices.

Collaborators: