Efficient irrigation management provides benefits such as conserving fresh water and energy, improving disease management, reducing nutrient leaching, increasing crop yield and grain quality, and maximizing return on investments. Improper irrigation schedules or unnecessary irrigation can waste resources, but can also increase the potential risk of plant diseases. Plant disease can substantially reduce yield and quality of product, negatively affecting the sustainability and economics of production.

Soybeans are impacted significantly by diseases which can also be driven through increased leaf wetness or improper irrigation. Two of the most devastating are white mold and soybean sudden death syndrome. White mold is favored by moist conditions which favors production of apothecia (mushrooms) on the soil surface that release spores and spore germination and infection of the soybean plant through flower petals. Soybean sudden death syndrome is a soil borne disease. The fungus responsible for sudden death syndrome infects the soybean roots and produces a toxin that is translocated into the foliage and causes sudden death symptoms. Excessive soil moisture at critical points can drive root infection and sudden death development. It is important to understand how irrigation can promote environmental conditions, resulting in increasing the potential risk of plant diseases.

The overall goal of this project is to improve irrigation water use efficiency and disease management by demonstrating and utilizing a LOCOMOS (Low-cost remote sensor monitoring system). The specific objectives are described below.

Objective 1 – Demonstrate the potential use of LOCOMOS to improve irrigation water use efficiency by tracking multiple depths of soil moisture levels.

Objective 2 – Improve disease management in an irrigated soybean field by understanding the environmental conditions promoted by irrigation.

Objective 3 – Share the findings of this study with producers through field days, meetings, and publications.

The progress and result of this project will be shared through existing outreach Extension activities such as meetings, workshops, podcasts, field days, webinars, articles, social media, and on-farm consultations. The post-evaluation, including changes in knowledge, changes in practice, and suggestions, will be conducted from these outreach activities.

The major expectation of this project is that the utilization of LOCOMOS will improve irrigation water use efficiency and minimize the potential risk of plant diseases. By tracking soil moisture, leaf wetness, temperature, and humidity, farmers will be able to make better informed decisions about when and how much to irrigate, improving yields, reducing water and energy costs, and decrease the potential risk of plant diseases. The utility of LOCOMOS and its promotion through the outreach activities of MSU Extension will gain traction among soybean farmers in Michigan that employ field sensor technology, and will be evidenced through turnout at workshops and field days.