Digital irrigation support technologies: Sensors, remote sensing and decision-making systems

Abstract

Precision irrigation consists of applying the paradigm of precision agriculture to the dosage of irrigation water, in the sense of providing the right amount of water at the right time and place. To do this, it relies on various technologies for data acquisition and processing which can be integrated with other sources of information, allowing appropriate decisions to be made on the dosage of irrigation. This article reviews the general approach to this practice and the most recent advances. It emphasizes two complementary data acquisition technologies that operate in parallel: the measurement of soil moisture with sensors and the monitoring of the development and hydration of crops by remote sensing. We make a brief review of the opportunities provided for remote sensing by different observation platforms, including the Copernicus satellite constellation. Next, we show how the data can be integrated with water balance models to provide estimates of precise irrigation needs. The paper also highlights the importance of framing the daily dosages within an overall strategy for the entire irrigation season. Lastly, it discusses the future prospects of precision irrigation in the current technological context.

KEYWORDS: irrigation, precision agriculture, precision irrigation, sensors, remote sensing, digitalization.