Development of the Mississippi Irrigation Scheduling Tool - MIST

G. F. Sassenrath, A. M. Schmidt, J. M. Schneider, M. L. Tagert, J. Q. Corbitt, H. Van Riessen, J. Crumpton, B. Rice, R. Thornton, R. Prabhu, J. Pote, C. Wax

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Increasingly variable and uncertain rainfall patterns together with higher production input costs have led farmers to rely on supplemental irrigation to enhance production. While many irrigation methods have been developed for dry climates, few tools are available for humid, high rainfall areas. Moreover, most scheduling tools require extensive data collection, entry and simulation runs, limiting their practical utility during the production season. The Mississippi Irrigation Scheduling Tool (MIST) has been designed as a web-based, easy to use management tool for crop producers. An estimate of crop water use is made using the modified Penman Monteith equation to calculate daily evapotranspiration. The "checkbook" water balance method sums the water balance of the soil, plus water from rainfall or irrigation, minus water used by the crop or evaporated from the soil. This method indicates the need for irrigation when the soil water available to the plant falls below that which is readily available for crop growth. To enhance utility, the MIST has been implemented in a web interface, allowing producers to access the information from anywhere through tablet computers or smart phones. To reduce the data entry requirements, the system relies on national databases for automated integration with a water balance model. The system was tested at multiple production sites during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 growing seasons. Here, we give details on the development of input parameters for the water balance calculation, including crop water use and soil moisture, and compare the calculated water balance during the growing season for corn and soybeans with measured soil moisture measurements. The MIST will provide producers, consultants and other professional colleagues with a reliable, accurate, and easy to use tool for improved water management. Because this tool is designed for use by producers, primary units of measure are in English units, with metric equivalents reported parenthetically.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting 2013, ASABE 2013
PublisherAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Pages3936-3941
Number of pages6
ISBN (Print)9781627486651
StatePublished - 2013
EventAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting 2013 - Kansas City, MO, United States
Duration: Jul 21 2013Jul 24 2013

Publication series

NameAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting 2013, ASABE 2013
Volume5

Conference

ConferenceAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityKansas City, MO
Period7/21/137/24/13

Keywords

  • Crop water use
  • Decision support tools
  • Irrigation scheduling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Bioengineering

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