Alfalfa Irrigation Methods - Subsurface Drip Irrigation Alfalfa

ALFALFA

DRIP IRRIGATION IS THE IDEAL METHOD FOR MEETING WATERING DEMANDS.

Alfalfa is a crop that has been predominately grown in the western United States dating back to the Gold Rush days. It is the third most valuable crop in the United States, behind corn and soybeans, but its true economic impact is much greater as it provides the high energy feed for dairy cows as well as other types of livestock. Production of Alfalfa has steadily increased because of its strong vitality, adaptability, high production level, superior quality, and multiple uses. Alfalfa is a water-intensive crop but, despite its high demand for water, alfalfa is also heralded for its high water-use efficiency (the amount of water required to produce a unit of crop yield). Because alfalfa is able to utilize nearly all of the water applied to its root zone, drip irrigation is the ideal method for meeting the crops watering demands.

The challenge for alfalfa growers

Alfalfa is a uniquely-demanding, water-intensive, perennial crop with a deep root system. But even a little stress caused by too much or too little water will have a negative effect on its growth, development and overall stand quality. That’s why unpredictable climates and wasteful irrigation methods like flood aren’t good enough – you need consistency, not vulnerability to over or undernourishment.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation Brings Farming to a New Level of Efficiency

Irrigating alfalfa is much different than irrigating most other crops because it is a perennial crop with a deep root system that can pull water from deep within the soil profile. Of the common agronomic crops, alfalfa consumes the largest amount of water. Its consumptive use can exceed 46 inches of water in a typical year. Among the many challenges, growers are faced with is the fact that stress caused by too much or too little water has a direct effect on alfalfa yields, crop growth, development, and overall stand quality. It is for this reason that growers are always evaluating their irrigation methods to ensure they are using the most efficient method possible. Learn more about the different methods of irrigation being employed by today’s growers.

Today’s Alfalfa growers are primarily using three methods of irrigation: Flood, Center Pivot and Subsurface Drip irrigation.

Flood Irrigation (also called surface irrigation) uses the soil surface to flow water down the field from high to low areas. While it is still a common method of irrigation, it also requires an extraordinary amount of water, lacks in uniformity and is the most difficult to manage due to its dependence on soil properties and field topography. As water availability decreases, growers are finding that flood irrigation is not a sustainable method of irrigation for their operation.
Center Pivot Irrigation is a popular method of irrigation as it offers growers more efficient and more uniform delivery of water to the alfalfa crop when compared to flood irrigation. But, despite its efficiency when compared to flood, fields that use center pivot systems have increased weed pressure, are more susceptible to diseases due to wet foliage and lose water due to evaporation before it reaches the plant’s root zone. UC Davis research has also shown that the constraints on water application by center pivots, may result in the deep-rooting alfalfa plants not receiving the right amount of water for maximum growth.
Subsurface Drip Irrigation is a management tool that allows precise control over the root zone environment of an alfalfa crop. This control can be used to increase yields, reduce water needs and runoff or better manage crop quality. SDI enables optimal uniform soil moisture with outstanding aeration and directly disperses water and nutrients to the crop’s root zone.

Precision

Make Your Farming Operation More Profitable

Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) is a management tool that helps you gain control of the root zone environment by delivering water and nutrients straight to the roots of each plant. It helps you maintain optimal soil moisture levels, uniformly across your field, with better aeration. The result is increased yields, reduced water needs, and runoff, better management of crop quality, and less fertilizer and labor cost.

Additionally, you can use digital control systems to monitor and optimize your yield as it’s growing, gaining data about every stage of the alfalfa lifecycle.

Learn More About Digital Farming

Efficiency

Benefits of Subsurface Drip Irrigation

From the invention of the first hoe to today’s GPS-based harvesters, every advancement in farming has been brought about in an effort to increase the efficiency of farming operations, provide farmers with better control over resources and produce higher-yielding crops with fewer input costs. Providing growers with a management tool that increases crop yields decrease input costs and increases operational efficiency, subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) just makes sense.

Increased Crop Yields

Deep-rooting alfalfa is proven to respond exceedingly well to the application of water by SDI, resulting in vigorous, faster-growing plants and overall higher yield production, improving plant nutrition, reducing plant stress, improving water efficiency and decreasing weed growth.

Ability to spoon-feed precise measurements of fertilizer directly to the plants’ root zone.
Improved control allows for more consistent soil moisture levels eliminating stress caused by large swings in soil moisture, leading to healthier growth and higher yields.
Delivers water directly to the plant’s roots resulting in decreased evaporation and no run-off allowing uniform distribution of water.
SDI results in a significantly drier soil surface that decreases germination of weeds.

Decreased Input Costs

The efficiency of a Subsurface Drip Irrigation system can significantly reduce alfalfa growers input costs by increasing fertilizer efficiency, reducing water use, reducing labor and reducing energy use.

Allows the precise application of nutrients, resulting in an increased uniformity, application efficiency, and higher yields.
The precise application of water directly to the root zone reduces run-off and evaporation, increases distribution uniformity and water use efficiency.
Automatic irrigation scheduling and delivery of fertilizer and crop protection chemicals reduce the overall need for manpower.
With virtually no run-off or evaporation and lower operating pressures required, the power to operate pump motors is greatly reduced.

Increased Operational Efficiency

A Subsurface Drip Irrigation system can increase the efficiency of alfalfa growers’ overall operation.

SDI is able to adapt to any field size, shape, and topography, irrigating 100% of the field.
Increases the grower’s ability to leverage and respond to changing field and weather conditions.
Increases access to fields due to drier soil surfaces and the absence of above-ground piping/structures
Allows for immediate delivery of fertilizer to the entire system, or to select blocks, without using heavy fields machinery.

Solutions

COMPLETE DRIP IRRIGATION SOLUTIONS FOR ALFALFA PRODUCTION

From seasonal to permanent systems, only Netafim offers complete integrated and customized drip irrigation systems, coupled with exceptional customer support.

Dripline Application

Grow higher, better yields every season with precision irrigation - no matter your crop, climate patterns, soil type or topography.

Flexible Pipe

FlexNet™ is a high-performance, flexible, lightweight piping solution. It’s offered in a wide range of diameters with integral welded connectors which ensure a leak-proof connection. It’s proven to reduce the overall material and labor costs of an entire irrigation system.

Filtration

Designed to address whatever challenges you’re dealing with, from fair quality to harsh water conditions.

Digital Farming & Fertigation

Find out how digital farming is empowering growers with precision irrigation to control their own destinies in new ways.

Pressure And Flow Control

Regulate pressure and flow rate, and ensure optimal function, resulting in smooth operation and uniform crops.

Flow Monitoring

Specifically designed to provide the most accurate and reliable flow readings.

Pipe Protection

For long-term system life and high system performance.

Growers Stories

Meet the people pioneering precision irrigation

Randy McGee has doubled the tonnage per acre while using the same amount of water and the higher yields mean they are less affected by fluctuating commodity prices.

Randy McGee

Alfalfa, USA

DOING MORE WITH LESS & INCREASING YIELDS

With an eye towards efficiency and cost savings, a young farm manager uses drip irrigation as a means to irrigate alfalfa more effectively. “My primary goal for shifting to a Netafim drip irrigation system was to become more efficient with our resources, and ultimately more profitable,” says Seth Rossow, Farm Manager for Bert Wilgenberg Farms.

HIGHER YIELDS AND LOW LABOR COSTS WITH DRIP

“It’s all about timing.” That’s how Roger Cornwell feels about many things - life,
farming, and especially his drip irrigation system from Netafim.

DRIP IS THE FUTURE OF FARMING

Richie Gunter is excited about the future of agriculture. Gunter, a retired Marine Corps veteran who felt called to serve his country after September 11, now farms just outside of Woodland, California. Currently, he has 100 acres of alfalfa on drip irrigation and says drip is the future of farming.

IMPROVING ALFALFA YIELDS ONE DRIP AT A TIME

For the Maddox family, early innovation has been something of a trademark for their farming operation. Whether it has been the innovations in the dairy breeding program for Holstein cows to those which support the dairy, new programs and efficiencies remain a vital part of the business.

DRIP PUTS THE GROWER IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

When Russell Schafer was hired at Wegis & Young in Buttonwillow, California,
his job was to drive innovation throughout the conglomerate’s farming operation. As the 31-year-old began to explore the various areas of the business where the largest efficiencies could be gained, one of the most obvious answers was its irrigation systems.

DRIP IRRIGATION ALLOWS ME TO GROW MORE WITH LESS RESOURCES

Nico Slabber’s roots in agriculture run deep - no pun intended. As a native of
Zimbabwe who came to the United States after also farming in South Africa,
Slabber understands the potential of technology in agriculture and the vital role drip irrigation plays in the imminent needs of the industry.

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