Irrigation has been indispensable for decades for the production of vegetables, potato and also fodder crops in the Kempen-Maasland project region. In the municipalities of Maaseik and Kinrooi, irrigation water can be tapped from the CIRO irrigation network.
Elsewhere, pumping is mainly from drilled wells that draw water from the mesh system. In efficient irrigation, the irrigation dose is matched to the needs of the crop and the moisture-holding capacity of the soil. Soil moisture holding capacity depends on soil texture, soil structure and also carbon content. However, these soil properties vary throughout the plot. The aim of the present project is to capture the variation in moisture holding capacity across the plot, and then increase irrigation efficiency by varying irrigation rates.
If irrigated with drip hoses, this can be done by installing hoses with a higher or longer release locally. If irrigated with a reel, the rewind speed of the gun can be adjusted according to the moisture retention capacity of the field. This is possible thanks to innovative software modifications to the reel dispenser. Final objective of the project is to increase irrigation efficiency by applying variable irrigation, both for irrigation with a reel and irrigation via drip hoses. This objective responds to the social demand to use available water sustainably in irrigation as well.
