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<br />t- <br />0) <br />M <br />C) <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />:-..-) <br /> <br />'-' <br /> <br />were either monitored for 1 or 2 years only or the sites had to be <br />discontinued because the landowners had problems, or because of change <br />In crops. <br /> <br />A comparison of irrigation monitoring data by crops from 1985 to 1989 <br />(Tab I e 6) shows that the number of i rr i gat ions increased for a II crops <br />in 1988 compared to other years, with the exception of smal I grains. <br />This may be attributed to dry weather conditions and caused the <br />farmers to apply more water towards the end of the season. When other <br />irrigation data are compared for the same crop, between 1985 through <br />1989, no consistency is seen to determine any kind of a trend (Table <br />6) . <br /> <br />A comparison of the summary of irrigation monitoring data from 1985 to <br />1989 <Table 3) shows that the total volume of inflow and outflow has <br />started to decrease and deep percolation has remained steady since <br />1986. <br /> <br />The overal seasonal irrigation application efficiency in 1989 was 49% <br />and stayed about the same as 1987 and 1988 <Tab I e 3). Th i s is <br />considerably better than 1985 and 1986 which had efficiencies of 30 <br />and 42% respectively. This overall irrigation efficiency includes <br />both surface irrigation and sprinkler/microspray irrigation. When <br />only su,..-face irrigation is taken into conside,...ation, the average <br />efficiency drops quite a bit. During 1985 to 1989, the average <br />surface irrigation efficiencies were 28%, 40%, 43%, 43% and 44% <br />respectively. For sprinkler/microspray irrigation, the efficiencies <br />were 52% for 1985, 74% in 1986, 84% in 1987, 73% in 1988 and 80% in <br />1989. <br /> <br />In the past, the overall seasonal irrigation application efficiency <br />was calculated to be the average of the individual site irrigation <br />efficiency. This year, the overal I average efficiency has been <br />calculated on the basis of average inflow, outflow and deep <br />perco I ati on for a II sites. The formu I a used is referenced at the <br />bottom of Table 2. The overal I irrigation efficiency for the past 4 <br />years has been recalculated and provided in Table 3. These values are <br />lower than previously reported. <br /> <br />Of the 14 surface irrigated sites monitored In 1989, half of them had <br />their irrigation efficiency 50% or over. This is also true of 1988. <br />Nine producers increased their efficiency in 1989 but 2 sites (27 and <br />29) substant i a II y reduced eff i c i ency in 1989 compared to 1988. Th is <br />is because of crop change (alfalfa to corn) in 1989. Site 29 did not <br />have any crop or an operator change. Sites 32 through 37 were <br />monitored for the first time in 1988. Efficiencies for both sites 32 <br />and 37 were fairly low in 1988 but increased in 1989 for site 32 and <br />decreased slightly for site 37. These sites had different crops in <br />1989 compared to 1988 (Table 2). <br /> <br />13 <br />