NMSU Receives Grant to Work on Irrigation Using Saline Water

Giuliano Sciusco, a visiting New Mexico State University graduate student from Italy, calibrates experimental soil sensors. NMSU Extension Turfgrass Specialist Bernd Leinauer and his team received a grant of $750,000 from the National Science Foundation to make landscape irrigation scheduling technology more user friendly. (Courtesy photo, Image Source: lcsun-news.com)

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State University’s Extension Turfgrass Specialist Bernd Leinauer and his team in cooperation with the Colorado School of Mines have received a grant of $750,000 from the National Science Foundation to work on making landscape irrigation scheduling technology more user friendly, particularly when it comes to using it in conjunction with saline, non-portable water.

Leinauer explained that the grant is to investigate promising technology already in existence that hasn’t been accepted or used by industry or the end user. Environmental and computer engineers from the Colorado School of Mines and turfgrass specialists from NMSU have partnered with the Toro Company, a major company in landscape irrigation and maintenance equipment. They will determine how to incorporate soil sensors that measure both salinity and moisture into existing irrigation scheduling technology.

“Soil salinity and soil moisture are two measurements needed when non-potable, saline water is used as a water source,” Leinauer said. “In our project we are using a market available salinity and moisture sensor and developing a model that uses these data for irrigation scheduling.”

Read more about this research at Las Cruces Sun News

Attached link

Media

Taxonomy

• Saline Water Irrigation
• Saline Water