The irrigation trend line is a tool that can be used to predict when irrigations are required. The SensorSentry remote monitoring solution automatically detects the last irrigation or rainfall event and calculates the rate of crop water use since that event. This information is displayed as a line that extends from the last irrigation date past the end of the data down to the refill point. The date and time that the trend line intersects the refill point is when the next irrigation will be required based on the current rate of crop water use. This is a valuable tool in precisely scheduling irrigations, particularly where irrigators are required to order water well in advance of the irrigation date.
The irrigation status lights provide users with a quick reference on the current soil moisture status of each device. Once the irrigation template has been set, web-based reports display a status light for each device. The status light displayed is dependent upon the position of the summed graph line, relative to the upper and lower thresholds set in the irrigation template. Irrigation status is particularly useful for clients with a large number of soil moisture devices, as they do not need to display the soil moisture graph for each probe to ascertain its status. This feature helps to prioritize each monitoring site based on the current soil moisture conditions. Note: It is still important for clients to view soil moisture graphs to be sure of overall trends and data integrity.
The irrigation prediction status light combines the irrigation template and irrigation trend line. SensorSentry calculates the current rate of crop water use and compares this with the refill point to determine when the next irrigation will be required. The “irrigation prediction” status light is displayed when the soil moisture content is within the pre-determined number of days of the refill point. The user can nominate for each device the number of days before the refill point that the warning is generated. This is likely to vary from site to site based on different soil types, crop objectives, and irrigation strategies.
The irrigation overlay enables clients to display soil moisture data from previous seasons on the same graph as the current season. This feature enables clients to compare their current irrigation regime with historical data and the irrigation template, to work towards an optimal irrigation strategy for the production of consistent yields and/or quality. This feature also helps to highlight the impact of climatic variation on the irrigation strategy from one year to the next.