Is your center-pivot irrigation system performing as efficiently as it should be? Are you getting optimal crop yield for the amount of water applied? What steps can you take to assess your system and improve performance?

Irrigation is one of the largest users of water and energy in Nebraska, emphasizing the importance of having your system designed and operating at top efficiencies. Center-pivot irrigation now accounts for about 85% of the irrigated land in Nebraska and is the most rapidly expanding form of irrigation in the U.S.

To help growers, consultants and pivot industry personnel manage and get the most from their system, Nebraska Extension has published the Center Pivot Irrigation Handbook, a 134-page comprehensive guide.

The handbook covers topics related to center-pivot system design, including wells, pumps and pipelines; water- and energy-use efficiency; and equipment management and operation.

The guide can help operators determine if an irrigation system is using only the amount of energy it should and, if not, how to tune up the current system or design a better one. Readers can learn why selecting the proper sprinkler package is vital to the efficiency of an irrigation system and how to design a system that applies water uniformly while reducing runoff, evaporation and drift.

Written by Nebraska Extension specialists and educators, it is in an easy-to-read format for general farm and layman readers. Color photos, graphs and charts on almost every page illustrate the text, and more than 25 tables create a handy reference for irrigation management.

Chapters in the guide cover a range of topics:
• pivot performance
• soil water management
• sprinkler packages
• pumping plants
• pipeline systems
• energy use in irrigation
• crop water use
• water resource management
• limited irrigation
• Center-pivot management

The handbook is available in print for $12.50. Order online at the UNL Marketplace. Or download a free PDF file. 

This report comes from UNL CropWatch.