Trial background
Working with leading farms at Elveden Estate in Suffolk and Waldersey Farms in Cambridgeshire, the project will test a new approach to variable rate irrigation (VRI).
Irrigation is a major cost and a vital resource for high-value irrigated crops such as potatoes and onions.
Field trials and modelling have shown that most within-field yield variation arises not from soil texture, but from non-uniform irrigation distribution that fails to match spatial/temporal variations in crop canopy and water demand.
Conventional hose-reel systems aim to apply a uniform rate across heterogeneous soils, leading to over-watering on heavier, more water-retentive and slower-draining areas and under-watering on sandier soils, wasting water, energy and yield potential. 15% under- or over-watering can lead to 10-20% reductions in yield, depending on the season and temporal rainfall patterns and amounts.
The project will test and trial on-farm new VRI methods that have not yet been commercially adopted in UK field crops. Building on earlier Defra-funded research (HortLINK HL0196 and FV 363) and recent Cranfield modelling, the trial will adapt and evaluate a practical, low-cost precision irrigation approach suited to hose-reel booms, as well as testing with rain-gun.
Smart irrigation allows an opportunity to test improved irrigation outcomes from varying irrigation within an irrigation run, rather than uniform rates across a field or similar areas.
Trial activities
The project brings together two major irrigated farms to test smart irrigation system. Using existing soil electrical conductivity scans, moisture sensors, weather data, satellite canopy imagery, and precision irrigation control systems (e.g. Raindancer), the trial will design and evaluate methods to deliver variable rate irrigation tailored to soil type, crop growth stage, market requirements and weather conditions. This involves using data on soils, crop growth, and weather, combined with advanced irrigation control systems, to apply the correct amount at pixel level to match application equipment technology, rather than field scale.
Over two seasons, irrigation runs will be compared across commercial onion and potato fields operating on different soil types, measuring yield, quality, water use, and energy efficiency.
The system will vary irrigation by runs and at sub-field resolution (20–30 m pixels) in response to real-time crop canopy (Kc) and soil data, captured from satellite data, UAV or fixed sensors and integrated through an irrigation management platform. Trials will measure effects on water use, yield, quality and uniformity under commercial operating conditions, validating modelled benefits from past studies that predicted 20–25% water and energy savings and improved water productivity (£ per m³ applied).
One of the key questions: “With more data, do we manage irrigation differently?”
The aim is to demonstrate clear economic benefits of smart irrigation to farmers, alongside improved resilience in the face of climate variability and tighter abstraction regulation.
Project funding
This trial is funded through the ADOPT programme for two years, running from March 2026 – March 2028. ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies) is a funding competition designed to support farmer-led, on-farm trials and experiments. Funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and delivered by Innovate UK, it aims to generate, test, and demonstrate innovative solutions to challenges in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry.
Project partners
-
The trial is working with the following project partners:
- Elveden Estates – Andrew Blenkiron and Nick Scantlebury
- Waldersey Farms – Jack Smith
- Agronomy Research Circle – Daniel Kindred
- ScientiAg International – Kiryon Skippen
- Mark Stalham Potato Consultancy – Mark Stalham
- Cranfield University – Jerry Knox
- Water Resources East – Teresa Meadows
- Soil Essentials
