This tutorial introduces the challenges that soils with variable water holding capacity and uncertainty about effective root zones of crops poses to on-farm water management. We consider how these weekly reports of crop ET can be related to site specific knowledge of the soils and crop root zone to help make irrigation scheduling decisions throughout the course of a season. We demonstrate how to apply the crop ET information to perform a simple water budget to properly balance water supply with crop water need.  We discuss limitations of the ET information and encourage it to be used in tandem with soil moisture monitoring.

You can receive Irrigation & Nitrogen Management Plan Continuing Education Credits for watching these videos, but to do so you must access them through the CDFA INMP Credits, where you will also need to complete the post-video test. To simply watch for your own education, click the video links below.

Crop ET Tutorial #3A: Using Weekly Crop ET Reports – From a Soils Perspective

Crop ET Tutorial #3B: Using Weekly ET Reports to Perform a Water Budget

Crop ET Tutorial #3C: Pairing a Water Budget and Soil Moisture Monitoring