Lethbridge Polytechnic launches IrriMap tool to guide farm irrigation
The web-based program, developed by researchers at Lethbridge Polytechnic, calculates evaporation and transpiration to help farmers fine-tune watering decisions.
Why it matters
The tool could help Alberta irrigation farmers manage water use more precisely amid ongoing concerns about water availability.
Researchers with Lethbridge Polytechnic's Mueller Irrigation Research Group have developed a new web-based tool called IrriMap that measures evapotranspiration, the combined loss of water from soil and plants. The program is designed to give farmers a clearer picture of exactly how much water their crops and hay fields need.
Dr. Michael Kehoe of the research group said measuring evapotranspiration is key to determining soil moisture levels, providing producers, agronomists and researchers with information to make decisions on irrigation timing, duration and amounts.
IrriMap can scale from small, hectare-sized fields up to entire sections of land, making it usable by operations of varying size. The project received funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and the tool is available online at IrriMap.ca.
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