Dates & locations

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Course details

Syllabus
Best practices in water management and irrigation
Code
SW02
Designed for
Individuals who wish to understand how best to manage the irrigation of potato, field vegetable and salad crops to improve crop yields and quality.
Entry requirement
Able to demonstrate practical experience
Dates and locations
Register interest
Price
£245 + VAT
Duration: 
One day classroom-based course
CPD points
12 BASIS; 1 NRoSO
Author: 
Simon Groves, Senior Irrigation Scientist, ADAS UK Ltd
Content

Classroom module 1 (half day) – The principles of irrigation management:

  • yield and quality benefits of irrigation for different crop species;
  • assessing the site and field condition to inform irrigation management decisions;
  • understanding field capacity, crop available water supply; infiltration rates for different soil types;
  • estimating soil moisture using soil moisture sensors or modelling techniques;
  • developing crop irrigation schedules for a range of crop species.

Classroom module 2 (half day) – Optimising irrigation in practice:

  • examples of commonly used soil moisture sensors – their benefits and limitations;
  • irrigation application equipment – review of the types of equipment available, including rain guns, booms, linear irrigators and drip systems;
  • key actions to optimise performance of equipment including operating pressures and droplet size;
  • recording water use and application uniformity;
  • compliance with relevant environmental legislation;
  • applying irrigation effectively and efficiently during a cropping season, with worked example.

Trainers are accredited by ARTIS

Participants receive an ARTIS Accredited Certificate

Syllabus
“It is good to hear of what other people do. What tends to happen on-farm is that you do something in a particular way because it has always been done that way – and that happens from approaches to black-grass control to irrigation. It is good to see what everyone else thinks and what they do differently. This course fits the ball.”

Edwin Cross

Assistant Farm Manager at Waldersey Farms

“My aim is to be able to gauge how to use water more efficiently. The course is useful for gaining better understanding about the science behind the different irrigation scheduling techniques available. Participating in the discussions is as important as the course. Our slightly heavier slits and loams represent their own irrigation challenges so gaining views on their experience of others is important”

Mike Neaverson

Assistant Farm Manager at Farmcare

“This is my second year of being involved in field crops as I moved over from the dairy sector. The course has helped to enhance understanding of the theory behind irrigation, helping me to move on to the next stage of thinking what needs to be done and why”

Mark Whitehead

Howard Farms