An irrigation controller is disclosed together with associated methods and computer program products. User input specifying a requested start time may be received. A total desired watering time may be calculated. A total permissible watering time may be calculated. The start time may be moved back relative to the requested start time in response to determining that the total permissible watering time is less than the total desired watering time.

A system and method for obtaining real-time data regarding the condition of a crop and planning and executing an irrigation cycle in response to the data. The invention uses an unmanned aerial vehicle to survey the conditions within an irrigated area. The irrigation system includes components to vary the amount of water dispensed within particular areas. The data obtained is used to create an irrigation schedule that the irrigation system then carries out. For example, surveyed areas that contain more moisture may be given relatively less water during the next irrigation cycle. The data obtained may also be used to alter a scheduled delivery of fertilizer, pesticide, or some other substance.

An inspection device includes an output unit, a storage unit, and an inspection unit. The output unit outputs a control signal for controlling a water supply valve to control supply and no supply of irrigation water from a water supply pipe in an open farm field, between an open state and a closed state. The storage unit stores water pressures of irrigation water as detected in a period from a state where the water supply valve becomes in the open state and irrigation water is supplied from the water supply pipe until an expected time elapses after the water supply valve becomes in the closed state and the water supply pipe is expected to be filled with irrigation water. The inspection unit calculates a time constant of water pressure based on the water pressures and inspects the water supply pipe based on the time constant.

An irrigation management system which allows for modulation of the watering gradient along crop rows. The system may include dual drip lines which allow for selection of gradients based upon the time each of the dual lines is active. The system may utilize pressure sensitive valves which select drip lines based upon the inlet feed water pressure. The system may include drip emitters which modify flow rates based upon inlet feed water pressure.

An Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) method/system for irrigating a field using a pump comprising an outlet supplying water to the field and an inlet connected to a water source is disclosed. The method/system comprises a sensor placed at a location in the field for sensing a water depth below a surface of the field and transmitting the water depth to a controller located remotely from the sensing location using a wireless connection. The controller enables the pump when the sensed water depth is below a threshold depth and disables the pump when the sensed water depth is above a threshold depth.

A system and method for providing irrigation management services is disclosed. The system may include a plurality of controllers, where each controller controls application of water by an irrigation system associated with the controller. A central computer that is remote from each of the controllers may be configured to implement an irrigation management plan that is individualized to each location and based, at least in part, upon one or more characteristics of the location as determined by an on-site visit. The irrigation manager may guarantee that the system will provide a return on investment within a predefined period of time. The system may also detect faults in the irrigation systems using water usage data from the controllers and diagnose the faults. A technician may be notified and dispatched to repair the faults.

An agricultural method includes providing a positive air pressure chamber to prevent outside contaminants from entering the chamber; growing crops in a plurality of cells in the chamber, each cell having multi-grow benches or levels, each cell further having connectors to vertical hoists for vertical movements in the chamber; maintaining pre-set temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, watering and lighting levels to achieve predetermined plant growth; using motorized transport rails to deliver benches for operations including seeding, harvesting, grow media recovery, and bench wash; dispensing seeds in the cell with a mechanical seeder coupled to the transport rails; growing the crops with computer controlled nutrients, light and air level; and harvesting the crops and delivering the harvested crop at a selected outlet of the chamber.

A system and method for providing landscaping integration into a watering system or water management system. The system may include a processor with programmable landscape events or pre-programmed landscape events. A user may select or enter in landscape events to manipulate a watering or irrigation schedule based on the landscape event. The system may also be pre-programmed to a landscape event based on recurring or scheduled events to alter watering or irrigation. A landscaper may access a system on an electronic device that may be linked to a cloud based platform for managing the system or systems to allow for alteration and manipulation of watering and irrigation times and durations based on landscape events.

A system and method of irrigation control calculates a predicted soil moisture value based that is compared to low moisture threshold. If the predicted soil moisture value is a value below the low moisture threshold value, the next irrigation cycle or scheduled irrigation operation is allowed to proceed or otherwise activated. The predicted soil moisture value may be calculated by adjusting a current soil moisture value by a historical adjustment factor based on negative net changes in soil moisture values.

This disclosure describes techniques that facilitate the sale and exchange of plant growth systems to consumer plant growers. Particularly, a script offering system may act as an intermediary medium that allows merchants to advertise plant growth scripts to consumer plant growers via an electronic marketplace. In some examples, the script offering system may allow merchants to advertise plant growth scripts to consumer plant growers that have expressed an interest or need for a particular plant growth script. In other examples, the script offering system may allow a consumer plant grower to solicit merchant bids for the sale of plant growth script. A consumer plant grower may solicit bids for plant growth scripts that address specific needs identified via key word inputs or sensor data attributable to an existing plant growth operation that exhibits less than optimal plant growth.