Station-Specific Weather & Crop Water Use
Frequently Asked Questions
I am a rainfed producer. Is SoyWater of any Value to me?
Yes. Some herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides may be cost- effective only if applied during a crop stage-specific window. SoyWater projects your crop’s development, providing you with estimated calendar dates for those key stages. For example, fungicide applied during reproductive development is often only cost-effective if applied precisely at stage R3. Contact your county or state extension personnel for more information.
I use Watermark™ Soil Water Sensors to Monitor Soil Water Depletion. Is SoyWater of Any Use to Users of These Sensors?
Yes. On the SoyWater home page, there is a ‘Soil Moisture Sensor Calculator’ tool. Click on this tool to translate centibar readings from the soil water sensor meter into inches of soil water depletion (but first input the soil texture type). The tool is not crop-specific, so corn growers with sensors can use it too.
Can I Use Rainfall Collected at the Weather Station Instead of Rainfall Collected at the Field Site?
SoyWater estimates of soil water depletion are more reliable if field-specific rainfall amounts are inputted. If the Station is too far away, users should check to see if there is a rain collection site nearer the field. See NeRain Site: Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network.
How Reliable are the SoyWater Yellow-Highlighted Soil Water Depletion “Irrigation Trigger” Dates?
SoyWater is a web-site decision-aid tool that uses well-known theoretical and empirical principles: 1) to estimate soybean evapo-transpiratory water use (Penman Equation), 2) to project seasonal soybean development stages (using the SOYSIM model), and 3) to relieve irrigated soybean producers from the tedious manual calculations required for the soil water balance accounting method of irrigation scheduling. Still, as is the case with any decision-aid tool, wisdom and good judgment should be exercised when using SoyWater to schedule irrigation events.
