Define: irrigation water management, available water capacity, percent available, soil moisture deficit, in/ft depleted
Explain the significance of irrigation water management
Explain key factors that impact observations made in the feel and appearance method
Differentiate between percent available water capacities in different soil types
Obtain a soil sample using a probe, auger or shovel
Squeeze the soil sample firmly to form an irregularly shaped “ball” of soil
Squeeze the soil sample out of the hand between the thumb and forefinger to form a soil “ribbon”
Observe the soil texture, ability to ribbon, firmness and surface roughness, water glistening, loose soil particles, soil/water staining on fingers and soil color
Compare observations with photographs and/or charts to estimate percent water available
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Define
Irrigation water management: is applying water according to crop needs in an amount that can be stored in the plant root zone of the soil.
Available water capacity: is the amount of water that a soil can store that is available for use by plants
Percent available: currently available soil moisture as a percent of available water capacity
Soil moisture deficit: is the amount of water in a soil that can be readily absorbed by plant toots of most crops
in/ft depleted: Inches of water currently needed to refill a foot of soil to field capacity
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Why is it important to properly manage irrigation water?