Steve Orloff also recently published a new article on Soil Moisture Monitoring in Crop Management; it is available here as both an html document and as a printable pdf.
NEW UC PUBLICATION and EXCEL SPREADSHEET:
Soil Moisture Monitoring--A Simple Method to Improve Alfalfa & Pasture Management
by Steve Orloff, Blaine Hanson, Dan Putnam
Click here for downloadable .PDF file of Document
Click here for a compressed Excel file
(Note: this a large file; 2.2 MB zipped).
To uncompress, download Winzip or Winrar.
Description of Publication.
This is a full-color, educational brochure published November, 2001, on how to use soil moisture blocks for monitoring soil moisture in alfalfa or pasture. This is a simple, easy to use technique for managing irrigation and preventing over- and under-irrigation. . It is written to be used for alfalfa and pasture managment, but these techniques are relatively universal and can be used for many other types of crops.
Please contact Steve Orloff to ask about recieving a FREE(while supplies last) copy of this 8-page full-color document (suggested retail value $5.00): Write:
(Note: unrestricted donations are welcome to encourage more publications like this--contact Steve for further information!).
Description of Excel Spreadsheet:
An Excel spreasheet is provided at no cost, which aids in the tracking of irrigation water throughout the season. This is stored as a zipped file on our server, so that it downloads more easily. However, it's still a large file, so be patient. It can be unzipped using standard Microsoft software once downloaded. NOTE: This file contains macros, and so you must enable macros for the program to work properly (click yes on the button to enable macros when the program is booted)..
This spreadsheet provides a technique for tracking irrigation thoughout the season, and automatically generates graphs.