Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1202547
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S WATER USE 8 "Prior to the changes, parts of the orchard floor were receiving unnecessary amounts of water due to the type of nozzle that was installed on some of the sprinklers," Correia said. "This led to overwatering in some areas, while other parts of the orchard were likely getting less water because of reduced pressure in the system." Small changes = systemwide improvements Correia, along with Tom Devol, senior manager of Field Outreach and Education at ABC, returned to the Markarians' orchard in October 2019 to conduct a follow-up evaluation. The results showed a systemwide improvement in several key areas, including better overall distribution uniformity as well as better flow distribution uniformity. A high rate of distribution uniformity indicates that every tree in a field is receiving the same amount of applied water, whereas the flow distribution uniformity measurement shows the extreme ranges within a system, highlighting the importance of balancing pressures to achieve an even flow at all locations in the orchard. "Based on the changes the family made, we saw more uniform pressure readings during our follow-up evaluation," Correia said. "The system's runtime required to meet water holding capacity also decreased, which means over time the family will save money on electricity and water costs." Correia also noted that distribution uniformity is only part of the equation to ensure that a grower is operating at an optimal level of irrigation efficiency. Just as important is application efficiency, which is determined by combining the application rate of the system (quantity of water applied per acre) with distribution uniformity and proper irrigation scheduling. "One of the benefits of ABC's free irrigation system evaluation is that we help to develop an irrigation schedule based on data collected in the field and current and historical average evapotranspiration (ET) rates," Correia said. "This provides growers with a good irrigation baseline against which they can evaluate the actual performance of their irrigation system." After making the necessary changes to their orchard's irrigation system, the Markarians are looking forward to improved yields down the road. In the meantime, they plan to take advantage of tools in ABC's California Almond Sustainability Program, or CASP, such as the free Nitrogen Management Calculator, to further build their almond farming knowledge. Growers who use this online tool can calculate nitrogen fertilizer needs throughout the season based on yield estimates, leaf sampling results and other nitrogen sources. The calculator also stores data by orchard block, making updates easy as information changes during the growing season. Growers interested in accessing the calculator and assessing their orchards' performance are encouraged to create their own CASP profile at SustainableAlmondGrowing.org. "The Almond Board's field staff were very knowledgeable and helpful," Linda said. "They know what they're doing and take a real interest and concern in your farm. It's nice to have that support, especially when you're new to the industry." Contact Tom Devol at tdevol@almondboard.com or Ashley Correia at acorreia@almondboard.com to schedule a free irrigation system performance evaluation. Learn more about irrigation system performance in ABC's Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum at Almonds.com/Irrigation. Correia and Tom Devol, ABC's senior manager of Field Outreach and Education, record irrigation flow readings during their irrigation evaluation. ABC Field Outreach and Education Specialist Ashley Correia gathers flow readings during a follow-up irrigation evaluation at the Markarian family's orchard.