MONDAY, JULY 15, 2024. BY JULIA DRESSLER & JAY THOMAS, CSU CHICO.
Ongoing Evaluations throughout the Central Valley in Summer 2024
Central Valley commercial growers are invited to participate in FREE irrigation system evaluations through CSU Chico via California Department of Water Resources funding. Irrigation system evaluations are offered this summer on a first-come, first-served basis.
Why should I participate?
Irrigation systems cost money to operate, and their performance greatly impacts yield and yield quality. Older systems need to be checked out just as automobiles do. Sometimes they need a tune-up; sometimes they don’t. This evaluation lets a farmer know if a tune-up is needed, and what types of things can be done.
On average, we find that the Distribution Uniformity (DU) of drip/micro systems is about 0.76 (out of a perfect 1.00), whereas reasonably attainable values are about 0.92 for drip/micro systems. If you shift from a DU of 0.76 to a DU of about 0.92, the ratio of (maximum/minimum) water applied to different plants throughout a field will shift from about 2 to 1 to about 1.2 to 1.
Farmers should expect a high DU from a new irrigation system. This program allows farmers to verify the quality of a new system that might have been recently purchased.
“Replacing our old, clogged drip hose in an older block proved to be hugely beneficial. It easily improved our yield on our 25 year old vineyard by half a ton per acre, which paid for the drip hose replacement in only two or three years.” – Pieter A. den Hartog, Lodi Winegrape Commission Board Member and LODI RULES Committee Member
What does the student irrigation evaluation team do?
- Spends about one day in the field taking measurements of pressures and flows, and making observations of the filtration, chemical injection, etc.
- Inputs data into the Cal Poly ITRC Irrigation Evaluation Programs and examines field data
- Prints out the data, results, and recommendations
- Sets up an appointment with the farmer to review the information
What information is provided afterward?
The ITRC Irrigation Evaluation Program results tell you:
- The Distribution Uniformity (DU) of the irrigation system; the DU is a measure of how evenly the irrigation water is applied to plants throughout a field
- The causes of non-uniformity; for example, the program will tell a farmer what percentage of the non-uniformity is due to plugging, what percentage is due to pressure differences, etc.
- Recommendations on how to improve that specific system’s performance
Who gets the information?
- The farmer
- The water/irrigation district (if applicable)
- The DWR (but without any farmer’s name or address)
- Cal Poly ITRC (we have a database of results without contact information)
What is the farmer’s obligation?
- There is no fee; it is completely funded by the CA DWR
- The farmer must agree to have someone show the students the field, explain the layout, and start and stop the pump on the agreed-upon date and at the agreed-upon time. It is VERY helpful to provide a map of the irrigation system.
- The farmer must be willing to take the time to sit down and go over the results (about 30 minutes).
If you are interested and/or have questions, feel free to contact Jay Thomas, Project Manager with Chico State by phone at 530.573.9130, by email at djthomas1@csuchico.edu, or at our August 6 IPM meeting described below the flier.
CD11 LODI IPM NETWORK BREAKFAST MEETING.
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Time: 8:00 – 9:30am
Venue: Burgundy Hall, Grape Festival Grounds, 413 E Lockeford St, Lodi, CA
Cost: FREE, all are welcome
Credits: 1.5 hrs DPR CE (OTHER) applied for
Special Guests & Topic: Julia Dressler & Jay Thomas, Chico State University – Distribution Uniformity and IPM in the Vineyard
Who Should Attend: Local Pest Control Advisers (PCAs), GROWERS who manage their own pest control (PRIVATE APPLICATORS) or who have pest control questions, anyone looking for viticulture DPR CE credits, viticulture TECHNICAL ADVISORS in Lodi, and winemakers/grower relations personnel interested in learning about vineyard pest management.
Description: A well-functioning irrigation system is a crucial component of integrated pest management. Chico State University (via CA Department of Water Resources funding) is offering FREE evaluations of drip irrigation systems in commercial vineyards to Central Valley growers on a first-come, first-served basis this summer. Growers can learn more and sign up by contacting Jay Thomas at 530.573.9130 or attending this meeting, where we will cover how to perform a distribution uniformity test.
RSVP: To the Lodi Winegrape Commission by phone 209.367.4727 or email info@lodiwine.com.
About CSU Chico, College of Agriculture
At Chico State’s College of Agriculture, we are educating and equipping future agricultural leaders by providing the most hands-on approach and opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff to obtain before excelling in their prospective careers.
By connecting the classroom and the field, our students are getting the chance to be a part of every working piece of the agricultural industry as well as explore local California commodities and industry connections.
We acknowledge and are mindful that Chico State stands on lands that were originally occupied by the first people of this area, Mechoopda, and we recognize their distinctive spiritual relationship with this land, the flora, the fauna, and the waters that run through campus. We are humbled that our campus resides upon sacred lands that since time immemorial have sustained the Mechoopda people and continue to do so today.
Featured image provided by Alina Tyulyu Photography.
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