Toro to Offer Subsurface Drip Irrigation Guide, Education & Tools at Husker Harvest Days
Toro will be exhibiting at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska, offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought.
At the booth (#436), Toro will be hosting a number of growers and dealers to share their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska. Interested growers can learn the benefits of SDI first-hand and get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software. Additionally, Toro will debut a new ‘how-to’ guide for SDI, based on case studies and years of research growing a variety of crops. Growers attending will also see the actual results of an SDI system at a field demonstration hosted by the show. The first in the show’s history, the demonstration plot irrigates a 30-acre cornfield with SDI buried 14 inches deep on 60 inch centers.
Thriving in a Drought with Subsurface Drip Irrigation
As the worst drought in 50 years gripped America’s farmland in the summer of 2012, and crop failure was rampant, three Nebraska growers reported increased soybean yields and significantly lower water use. They achieved this success by switching to Subsurface Drip Irrigation to deliver water and nutrients directly to the roots of their crops, instead of the less-efficient practices of applying water with gravity or center pivot irrigation systems.
Toro shared these growers’ experiences with SDI at the 2013 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting in a report entitled, “Thriving in a Drought with Subsurface Drip Irrigation.” The report introduces the basic concepts and typical benefits of drip irrigation, including an example of a typical system layout. It dives into each grower’s experience and identifies the benefits specific to SDI (see figure below). The report concludes by highlighting the following tools and references that help growers and dealers plan, design, install, operate and maintain an SDI system:
- Drip-Micro Payback Wizard – tool to estimate the ROI of converting to drip irrigation
- AquaFlow – drip irrigation design software
- Drip Irrigation Owner’s Manual – comprehensive reference guide to drip irrigation
To learn more about SDI, stop by the Toro booth (#436) at Husker Harvest Days September 10-12, 2013, in Grand Island, Neb.; Ask an Expert; or sign up for Toro’s eNewsletter, DripTips. The complete report, “Thriving in a Drought with Subsurface Drip Irrigation,” is available for reprint by contacting ASABE at rutter@asabe.org or can be viewed by clicking here.
