Introduction to Tutorials

   Tutorials
     How to Use the Tutorials
     Basics of Irrigation Science

Introduction to the On-line Tutorials/Advisories - I have been involved with many different types of projects over the years. The Tutorials and Advisories on this site are summaries of those experiences.

I wrote my first irrigation scheduling program in 1974 while I was in the Master of Science program at Utah State University. Over the years since I have written many more. The latest, CropData, is in use by three major consulting firms in California. It is about toget a major overhaul as it is still in Foxpro for Windows and is basically a Windows 3.1-based system.

"Irrigation Scheduling" is a generic term applied to any technique/practice that is intended to aid the farmer in determining when and how much to irrigate. Although I have seen them categorized by soil-based versus plant-based techniques, to my mind the two main families of irrigation scheduling are "water budget" and "graphical" methods. Refer to the water budget tutorial or graphical tutorial for summary explanations and examples.

The WateRight site is a joint project of the Center for Irrigation Technology and Advanced Technology Information Network which are part of the California Agricultural Technology Institute at California State University, Fresno. The WateRight site is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of Interior. One section of this site provides an example of water budget irrigation scheduling. You can refer to the tutorial on WateRight's site, then visit it to see results for your field.

I have been working with Pacific Gas & Electric Company since 1991, developing and implementing their energy efficiency programs for agriculture. The Advisory on energy use and costs contains a calculator that you can use to estimate your annual electric energy or fuel costs.

I wrote and published several tutorial pamphlets and management advisories on various subjects during my tenure as Water Conservation Coordinator for the Grasslands area water districts. These were designed to introduce the most important concepts in each subject as simply as possible. They covered the basics of soil/water/plant water relationships, irrigation scheduling, operation of flood irrigation systems (furrows and border strips/checks, and operation of pressurized irrigation systems (micro and sprinkler).

They were not designed to be rigorous textbook-type teaching tools. Rather, they were the basic thoughts presented in a short, small-pamphlet form. My intent was to make sure every grower I talked to had a similar understanding of the basics of irrigation science. The Advisory on planning for a furrow irrigation was one of those tutorials. It contains a calculator that you can use to estimate the equivalent average depth and minimum infiltrated depth that would result from a set of parameters (set time, furrow flow, furrow spacing, etc.).

I have worked on nonpoint source pollution (NPS) programs in both Washington State and California. It is a vitally important topic and one sure to affect irrigated agriculture more and more. I have always said this about water-

What I mean by the above is that an issue of water allocation can be argued. But you cannot argue with the results of a laboratory test for nitrates in groundwater or selenium from a tile-drain system. I encourage you to read the summary discussion concerning nonpoint source pollution. If you are in agriculture, either as a farmer, rancher, feeder, dairyman, poultry, eggs, packer or processor, NPS, if not a concern now, will be sure to affect you in the near future.

A suggestion is to first go through the tutorial just reading the major concepts. Then, go back again, reading the explanations and examples. See if you can relate some of the thoughts to your own experiences in the field.