*Agronomic Operation and Maintenance of Field Irrigation Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84997*

*Irrigation - Water Productivity and Operation, Sustainability and Climate Change*

10 days (harvesting date was January 31,

**strategies into farming operations**

ing and equipment maintenance, and

improper equipment maintenance.

pressurized irrigation systems:

grape clusters.

to maturity stage; this irrigation strategy produced 14.6% larger than targeted average berry size (data not shown) and possibly, with expected negative effects on wine organoleptic indicators. In the Sauvignon blanc plot, overirrigation took place throughout these dates, except for December 25 and 26; for this cultivar, the phenology stage corresponds to berry final maturity, which was delayed by

due to excessive irrigation and *Botrytis cinerea* affected a significant number of

**5. Constraints in the adoption of smart water management tools and** 

There is a generalized feeling among farmers and field extensionists in relation to irrigation, who almost unanimously and systematically consider today that this agronomic practice is the major limiting factor in crop productivity in most farms. Efforts done to effectively improve water productivity are affected by two main constraints in the adoption of smart water management applications in field-

1.The relatively low cost of water/energy, in relation to other production inputs, which determine a negative stimulus to actively implement irrigation schedul-

2.Inadequate knowledge on the actual relation between crop yield/quality and the correct water supply strategy, in terms of the effective water depth applied on each irrigation event, the importance of correct water application timing and the impact of uneven water distribution over the irrigated field, due to

The first constraint is being painfully addressed as a result of decreasing irrigation water availability, due to climatic global change, but the second constraint requires an urgent upgrade in irrigation decision-makers' knowledge and professional abilities, at the farm level. Highly motivated extensionists, with specific quantitative goals to address these constraints are needed in most agricultural areas, in the scope of well-financed collective policy schemes, to obtain the highest economic return for each water drip available. Efforts to provide short-term, accredited, and practical courses on irrigation system performance and maintenance at the farm level to operators and agronomists are urgently needed in most agricultural

Integration of irrigation scheduling and irrigation system maintenance concepts and techniques is a most needed technology to be adopted by agricultural stakeholders, providing data and orientations to optimize the benefits of irrigation investments, influencing both crop yield and quality, as well as by significant reductions in water, energy, and repairing costs. Professional specialized advice on the operation of the irrigation equipment, including daily irrigation scheduling, irrigation equipment maintenance and training, and control of irrigation system and field personnel operational performance throughout the season is highly

); also, 18–20% of the berries cracked

**22**

irrigated areas.

**6. Conclusions**

recommended.

Implementation costs of continuous irrigation scheduling services and system maintenance protocol analysis, including field personnel training, are almost irrelevant (in the range of U\$ 20–U\$ 90/hectare-year), in the scope of crop annual production costs. Moreover, incorporation of new Internet of Things applications for sensor collection of field data and its real-time analysis with increasingly powerful graphic software, using big data analysis tools, indicates that further cost reductions and increasing applications of irrigation scheduling to farming can be expected.
