The Irrigation Management Assistant (IMA) is a Minnesota irrigation decision-support tool developed to help farmers make more informed irrigation scheduling decisions. The tool uses crop, soil, weather, and field information to estimate crop water use and soil water balance, allowing irrigators to track when irrigation is needed and how much water should be applied. A key problem in Minnesota’s irrigated systems, especially on sandy soils, is balancing crop water demand with groundwater protection. Under-irrigation can reduce yield, while over-irrigation can waste water, increase pumping costs, and raise the risk of nitrate leaching. The goal of IMA is to provide growers with a practical, field-scale tool that supports timely irrigation decisions, improves water use efficiency, and helps reduce unnecessary water movement below the crop root zone. In our research and Extension work, IMA is also evaluated alongside soil moisture sensors, checkbook scheduling, and crop modeling approaches to improve irrigation recommendations for Minnesota crops and soil conditions.
Team: Vasudha Sharma and Bryan Runck