In this clip Patrick Henry, the CEO of GroGuru talks with Dr. Jeff Campbell, GroGuru’s Chief Science Officer. In this video, they are talking about technology. They discuss all the things related to GroGuru’s sensor technology and the information that we can get out of the ground to farmers to help them with their irrigation recommendations.
Patrick: Tell us more about evapotranspiration. What does that mean? What does it measure?
Jeff: Evapotranspiration is a measure of how much water is removed from the soil through evaporation at the soil’s surface as well as transpiration due to the plant moving water out from the soil structure into the atmosphere.
Patrick: It’s evaporation plus the plant using the water.
Jeff: Correct. That’s important because typical evapotranspiration levels are on the order of .2 to .4 inches a day. That water needs to be replaced in the soil through irrigation or rainfall. Knowing the ET and the volumetric water content allows us to predict when we’ll need irrigation next and how much water to apply to bring the soil up to a desired management level.
Patrick: This is a farmer management tool used to optimally irrigate your crops. You don’t want to over water or under water. You want to stay in the band above the permanent wilt point and below the saturation point.
Jeff: Right. If it’s too wet, you waste water and fertilizer. There are some disease issues that are exacerbated by very wet conditions, such as mold and mildew. If it’s too dry, you risk significant loss in yield. Not only does it manage irrigation, but salinity can also be a big issue for a number of growers. It’s about management of the irrigation and the salinity in the soil.
We hope this helps you understand your soil and how monitoring it can increase yields and save you water! Contact us today to get a quote for your acreage.