Alberta Irrigation Management Model: Key outputs from AIM:
Graphical and tabular reports of daily “year to date” moisture contiions, ET (crop water use), climate data, irrigation application amounts, surface run-off and deep percolation for any number of fields or sites within fields
Predictive assessment on crop water requirements and irrigation timing for designated near-future time periods
Evapotranspiration (ET) is a term used to refer to the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transpiration (movement of water from the soil, through roots and bodies of vegetation, and then into the air). Evapotranspiration is an important part of the water cycle, and measurement of it plays a key role in agricultural irrigation and water resource management.
ET Curves for Crops in general (FAO)
Crop coefficients: To convert the reference evapotranspiration to actual crop evapotranspiration, a crop coefficient and a stress coefficient must be used. Crop coefficients as used in many hydrological models usually change along the year to accommodate to the fact that crops are seasonal and, in general, plants behave differently along the seasons: perennial plants mature over multiple seasons, and stress responses can significantly depend upon many aspects of plant condition.
Growth stages
Support for project
Alberta crop coefficients (Penman Monteith)
Definition of zones
Zone delineation strategies
Other