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Probing Into the Future

October 30, 2009

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How do we best manage water? Read Bob Glodt's take on how technology can help conserve this precious resource.

By Raegan Johnson, Produce More Conserve More Staff

How do we best conserve water?

Water use continues to be a major issue in agriculture.  Agriculture alone uses close to 70 percent of the world’s fresh water.  As a result, many farmers are becoming more cognizant of how they use the precious resource.

“When you consider the cotton production region of the Texas high plains, you are really considering many different irrigation capacities,” Bob Glodt, agricultural consultant and independent contract researcher, said.

“Some people have very little capacity to irrigate; some people have quite a bit of water,” he said.”But one thing that goes without exception is we have a limited amount of heat units and a limited amount of time to make a crop. So for production practices, we need to be efficient with our water to produce the best crop we can make in a limited amount of time.”

Glodt resides in Plainview, Texas where he says water tables are declining and interest in regulating irrigation is increasing.

“In the next 10 years, you are going to see a tremendous change in the way we grow crops,” Glodt said.  “Our production systems revolve completely around water. So you’re going to see a change in the way we think about and manage water.”

“There is going to be more of a need in the future for growers to more accurately apply and account for irrigation,” he continued. “It’s inevitable. And there are some very important things that people are looking at right now to help improve the efficiency of irrigation and also develop new technology.”

This technology includes soil moisture probes (sensors), which measure the water content in soil. The tool is designed to help farmers manage irrigation systems more efficiently. Generally, the probes allow farmers to use less water and avoid wasting water during critical plant growth stages—which can result in better crops and yields.

“In the past we’ve used other techniques to account for water in cotton,” Glodt said. “We’ve probed the soil and felt the soil, and have used evapotranspiration. Monsanto has been working with a company called Aquaspy, and they have spearheaded some innovative research for probes that measure soil moisture to a depth of 40 inches. The unique thing about this technology is it allows you to see the plants use water.”

Glodt said the probes also show the soil’s recharge capacity and rain’s value in regards to soil penetration.

“We’re seeing that the value of rain is much more valuable in terms of soil penetration than irrigation,” he said. “And the recharge capacity allows the grower to determine how frequently he should irrigate. It’s a very neat system. It’s very advanced.”

So advanced farmers can access their field’s soil moisture data from virtually anywhere.

“If you’re farming in Plainview, Texas, and you take a trip to the mountains, you can take out your laptop, and access your probe data to see exactly how your crops are using water,” Glodt said.

“It’s amazing technology. I have been in the consulting business for more than 30 years and thought I’d seen just about everything that has come around. You kind of get comfortable, but it [the technology] has really made me understand how much more there is to learn about managing water.”

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