Precision drip irrigation for horticulture

Precision drip irrigation of horticultural crops is receiving interest, mostly in applications in large orchards and vineyards where spatial variability results in costs to yields, quality and water productivity. We review the issues and status of precision and variable rate drip irrigation and summarize advancements and issues regarding opportunity to consider spatial irrigation management in orchards and vineyards. Topics discussed include: the conflict between "smart" and "precise" irrigation; challenges and advancement in variable-rate drip irrigation application technologies and; the use of data, including that acquired from sensors and remote sensing, for both the delineation of management zones and decision making for irrigation scheduling within zones. Prospects for future work and progress for drip irrigated horticultural application of precision water management include variable rate dripper technologies, utilization of big data from sensors and remote sensing, and unique multivariate data processing including spatial-temporal modeling.