UNL Water

Your natural resource for reliable agricultural irrigation information

NAWMDN (ETgage Network)

The Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network

Crop Water Use — Evapotranspiration (ET)

Demonstrating ETgage

Use our online ETgage tool for quick recording of and access to weekly ET (crop water use) readings.

Cropwatch 2009: Water resources & irrigation management; cropping & reference ET

For the most up-to-date cropping information and how to successfully use regional evapotranspiration (ET) estimates, visit the CropWatch Web site. From the navigation menu on the left, go to the “Weather: GDD, ET” link. CropWatch is a news service of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Measuring Soil Water Status Using Watermark Sensors

Enabling Producers to Use Water and Energy Efficiently

Estimating Crop Evapotranspiration

Videos now available on evapotranspiration gauges and sensors*

Assembly and Placement of an Evaportranspiration Guage (5:17)

Installing Soil Moisture Sensors in the field (4:05)

How to Stage Crop Growth for Managing Crop Water Use (:54)

How to Assemble and Prepare Watermark Sensors (2:39)
*Videos require Windows media player or equivalent.

NAWMDN ETgage® project

The NAWMDN ET gauge project is one part of a system for testing cutting-edge technologies and creating a network with growers, UNL Extension, NRDs, NRCS, and crop consultants, and other interested partners, that will enable the adoption of water and energy conservation practices.

NAWMDN launched in 2005 and started with 20 growers from south central Nebraska who joined the Network as collaborators. An online tool, ETgage®, was added in 2008 to enable participation by growers throughout Nebraska.

The ETgage® is a tool that can be used to mimic evapotranspiration (ET) rates and this information can be utilized for irrigation management. The online ETgage tool gives collaborators an easy-to-use tool for recording readings. This online tool also provides quick, easy access to readings from a specific location.

Growers are challenged today to use conservation practices, reduce runoff and other losses from irrigation, and to increase crop water use efficiency while meeting the crop water requirements for maximum net return. Great challenges like these often can be met by coming at them from a team perspective. The Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network (NAWMDN) project is designed for encouraging the adoption of newer technologies that will enable farmers to use water and energy resources associated with irrigated crop production efficiently.

Did You Know?

Wet conditions caused by flooding or over irrigation can damage crops, reduce yields, contribute to groundwater contamination and reduced profits.

Research conducted in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Nebraska South Central Agricultural Laboratory near Clay Center by Dr. Suat Irmak included corn plots irrigated at 50%, 75%, 100% and 125% of actual crop water use or evapotranspiration. In both years, the over irrigated fields (125%) yield less than the optimum or fully irrigated field (100%).
Yields were:
50% - 194 bu/acre
75% - 213 bu/acre
100% - 217 bu/acre
125% - 205 bu/acre

Read more (*pdf requires free Acrobat Reader)

Send Comments/questions for Project Leader to:

Suat Irmak
Soil and Water Resources Eng.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Dept of Biological Systems Eng.
241 L.W. Chase Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583
Phone: (402) 472-4865
E-mail: sirmak2@unl.edu

List of project contacts and partners