Development of a Portable Electro-Mechanical Educational Model for Variable Rate Center Pivot Irrigation Technology
- 1 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
- 2 Edisto Research and Education Center, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Blackville, SC, USA
- 3 Edisto Research and Education Center, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Blackville, SC, USA
- 4 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
Abstract
Center pivot irrigation systems usually apply a relatively uniform amount of water to fields that are often inherently variable, which could lead to significant waste of water and energy. To address this issue, our team is now developing an Intelligent Center Pivot (ICP) by integrating sensor-based irrigation scheduling with variable rate irrigation technology. However, before this technology can be applied in commercial production, it is necessary to educate growers about its practicality and potential benefits. The objective of this study was to develop a portable tabletop intelligent center pivot model (ICPDemo) to demonstrate and promote adoption of the ICP technology. This paper describes an ICPDemo constructed in 2014, including the design specifications, electro-mechanical design, control strategy, and performance. The ICPDemo has performed according to design specifications and is successfully being used to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness of ICP technology for irrigation scheduling.
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