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 JWARP  Vol.8 No.4 , April 2016
Development of a Portable Electro-Mechanical Educational Model for Variable Rate Center Pivot Irrigation Technology
Young J. Han1, Ahmad Khalilian2*, Jose Payero2, Nicholas Rogers1
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Abstract: Center pivot irrigation systems usually apply a relatively uniform amount of water to fields that are often inherently variable, which could lead to significant waste of water and energy. To address this issue, our team is now developing an Intelligent Center Pivot (ICP) by integrating sensor-based irrigation scheduling with variable rate irrigation technology. However, before this technology can be applied in commercial production, it is necessary to educate growers about its practicality and potential benefits. The objective of this study was to develop a portable tabletop intelligent center pivot model (ICPDemo) to demonstrate and promote adoption of the ICP technology. This paper describes an ICPDemo constructed in 2014, including the design specifications, electro-mechanical design, control strategy, and performance. The ICPDemo has performed according to design specifications and is successfully being used to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness of ICP technology for irrigation scheduling.
Keywords: Irrigation, Center Pivot Irrigation, Electro-Mechanical Model, Sensors, Control, Variable Rate Irrigation
Cite this paper: Han, Y. , Khalilian, A. , Payero, J. and Rogers, N. (2016) Development of a Portable Electro-Mechanical Educational Model for Variable Rate Center Pivot Irrigation Technology. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 8, 449-458. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2016.84038.
References

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[2]   Perry, C., Pocknee, S. and Hansen, O. (2003) A Variable Rate Pivot Irrigation Control System. In: Stafford, J. and Werner, A., Eds., ECPA 2003, Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Precision Agriculture, Wagner Academic Publishers, 539-544.

[3]   Khalilian, A., Henderson, W., Han, Y., Owino, T. and Niyazi, B. (2007) Scheduling Site-Specific Irrigation for Cotton Production Using a Linear Move System. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, New Orleans, January 2007, National Cotton Council of America, Memphis, 883-888.

[4]   Khalilian, A., Han, Y.J. and Farahani. H.J. (2008) Site-Specific Irrigation Management. In: Eidson, G.W. and Sawyer, C.B., Eds., Proceedings of 2008 South Carolina Water Resources Conference, Charleston, 14-15 October 2008.

[5]   Han, Y.J., Khalilian, A., Owino, T.O., Farahani, H.J. and Moore, S. (2009) Development of Clemson Lateral Variable-Rate Irrigation System. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 68, 108-113.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2009.05.002

[6]   Khalilian, A., Han, Y., Barnes, E.M. and Henderson, W. (2012) Water Use Efficiency of Different Cotton Cultivars. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, 3-6 January 2012, Orlando, National Cotton Council of America, Memphis, 517-521.

[7]   Khalilian, A., Qiao, X., Farahani, H., Han, Y. and Payero, J. (2013) Parameterization of the FAO AquaCrop Model for Irrigated Cotton in the Humid Southeast U.S.A. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, 7-10 January 2013, National Cotton Council of America, Memphis, 522-527.

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