CropX Technologies, which has been rapidly rising through acquisition and innovation to become a major player in digital agriculture solutions, has teamed with Reinke Irrigation, a U.S. manufacturer of center pivot and lateral move irrigation systems, to launch a sensor-based system that leverages field-specific Evapotranspiration (ET) measurements of crop water use to help refine water management for farming operations.
Using technology from Tule Technologies, a firm acquired byCropX last year, Reinke, based in Deshler, Nebraska, has produced Reinke Direct ET by CropX, a system available exclusively from Reinke that the companies say provides “affordable Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) measurements with a sensor mounted on a Reinke center pivot irrigation system.”
In addition to the collaboration with Reinke, CropX itself is releasing its Actual ET sensor, a device that can be installed in any field, including those that do not use such a center pivot system, to provide ETa measurements. This sensor can be combined with a CropX soil sensor as part of the company’s agronomic farm management system to enable access to an accurate overview of water-plant usage and soil water availability to help farms with their irrigation decisions.
The Reinke product and the release of the Actual ET sensor from CropX come at a time when demands on irrigation water are rising, creating a pressing need for greater precision in irrigation decisions. CropX said ET values indicate the total water used by plants and evaporated from the soil, and that Reinke Direct ET by CropX offers measured–not modeled–field-specific values without need for any additional calculations. The partners said they also aim to promote water-efficient practices and support sustainable farming using a device that is easy to install and maintain and does not require removal at the end of the season.
Reinke is a leading center pivot manufacturer based in Deshler, Nebraska, who continues to empower growers throughout the world. Working together with CropX, they are ensuring growers use water and other resources in the most efficient way. By combining farm data, real-time conditions, and agronomic knowledge, Reinke and CropX provide the grower with powerful insights and advice for their agronomic operations.
“With this enhanced insight, farmers can make better decisions at the field level, where it counts the most,” saidReinke President Chris Roth.
CropX Chief Revenue Officer John Gates told Fierce Electronics via e-mail that the product launches will help expand use of ETa measurements for specific fields. “Up to this point, measured Actual ET on the farm has been mostly limited to use on the U.S. West Coast, primarily in the viticulture sector. The applicability is much broader, and with the launch we are pleased to be broadening its use to irrigated row crops. Some of our next steps in the coming months will include global availability.”
He said the Reinke product also bears the CropX logo. He declined to provide details on financial terms of the arrangement with Reinke.