Benefits of precision irrigation investigated in potato production

The question is whether precision irrigation can help increase the efficiency of water use and yield of potato crops in the province of Alberta.

 

 

 

The province of Alberta, in western Canada, produces about 1.1 million tonnes of potatoes. This tonnage is mainly made up of potatoes intended for processing, but also for fresh consumption and seeds.

 

 

 

The research "Towards Climate-Robust Irrigation Water Management for Potato Production / Towards a Climate-Resistant Irrigation Water Management for Potato Production" is now in the 2nd phase of a 4-year project. The question is whether precision irrigation can help increase the efficiency of water use and yield of potato crops in the province of Alberta.

 

 

 

"The availability of water will not increase over the next decade. Crops like potato are very sensitive to the availability of water. We need to better control the efficiency of water use" said Willemijn Appels, Applied Research Chair in Irrigation Sciences at Lethbridge College.

 

 

 

The research team works with 5 potato growers and follows them throughout the growing season for the duration of the project. They look at everything from management practices, humidity levels and results of various irrigation applications, to developing "what if" / "what if" scenarios.

 

 

 

"We can determine what would have happened to this crop if it had been irrigated at a different frequency, or if it had used an irrigation threshold based on moisture content. By tracking farmers, we can determine management margins. So, for example, if you adopt a certain technology and get a 10% yield increase, but also have to spend 30% more of your time managing your irrigation, that may not be feasible. By working with these farmers, we can link this to more realistic situations, which is really quite unique.

 

 

 

This project is a partnership between the Center for Applied Research at Lethbridge College and Potato Growers of Alberta, with funding of CAD 406 million ($ 307 million) from the Canadian federal government and the Government of Alberta.