Efficient irrigation starts with understanding exactly how much water your crop is using and how much it really needs. That’s where evapotranspiration (ET) comes in: the combined loss of water through evaporation (from soil and surface) and transpiration (used by the crop). By matching irrigation to ET, growers can reduce waste, improve yields, and make smarter use of limited water resources. With SGMA (the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) now in full effect across California, it is more important than ever that growers irrigate with precision and are able to prove it with efficient record keeping.  If you’ve ever asked yourself: “How much of my irrigation is actually reaching the root zone?” You’re not alone. This article breaks down how soil moisture monitoring and real-time irrigation control using HotSpot AG tools can give you clear, actionable answers. Monitoring Soil Moisture and Irrigation While evapotranspiration (ET) tells you how muc

Who (or what) is this eddy you keep talking about? Efficient water management has never been more critical for agriculture and specifically for viticulture. High-end viticulture needs to manage water to not only cut costs, but to keep quality high in a market of oversupply and buyers who hold the upper hand over the grower. High production viticulture may not need the water management finesse for quality that high-end viticulture does, but regulatory demands for groundwater protection as well as limitations on water deliveries push growers into making the most out of every gallon. Here at AV, we’ve made use of impactful technologies to help growers irrigate efficiently and control vine stress to improve wine quality from their vineyards. Our primary tools have been the soil moisture probe and, more recently, the Florapulse microtensiometer. Both tools have been indispensable and even more so now that we have our own data portal to view and analyze these data streams. More recen