There has been a history of unpredictable and varying amounts of accumulated rainfall in different locations across PEI. As a result, there is an ongoing question of when to irrigate. To address this challenge, potato growers from the East Prince Agri-Environment Association have taken it upon themselves to install 11 HOBO RX3000 weather stations in pre-established locations.
Powered by solar panels, these stations are equipped with ten ports that allow growers to monitor different parameters such as:
- Total rainfall
- Soil temperature
- Soil moisture
- Air temperature
- Relative humidity
- Solar radiation (sunlight)
- Wind speed, gust, and direction
Able to provide hourly, daily, weekly or monthly data, this technology has allowed our producers to make quick decisions on how best to adjust their farming practices to better match weather patterns and to navigate how much water and when water is needed. Aside from conserving water and energy, improving irrigation efficiency is valuable for preventing water-related stress in crops, reducing nutrient leaching and improving yields.
Author: Brian J. Murray, EPAA Technical Consultant