Enhance Economic Opportunities for Agricultural Producers
Arizona Meteorological Network (AZMET) Aids Crop Decisions

Impact Nugget
The Arizona Meteorological Network (AZMET) is now widely accepted as an important (and often the only) source of meteorological information pertaining to the production of agricultural and horticultural crops in Arizona; users accessed AZMET web pages more than 305,000 times in 2005, a large increase from 173,000 times in 2004; the turf web page was accessed more than 11,000 times, and in conjunction with personnel affiliated with the Ft. Mohave Indian Reservation, AZMET evapotranspiration information is used to schedule irrigations on more than 20,000 acres of cotton and alfalfa in western Arizona.

Issue
The Arizona Meteorological Network (AZMET) was developed in 1987 to provide weather data and information in near real time to the state's producers of agricultural and horticultural crops. Properly tailored weather information can assist with important management decisions related to variety selection, planting dates, crop assessment, pest control, irrigation and harvest.

What has been done?
A network of 28 automated weather stations was established in Arizona to supply meteorological data from important agricultural production areas and selected urban locations. Meteorological data obtained by the stations are transferred to a Tucson-based data processing center each night where computers process the data into a variety of informational formats. AZMET data and reports are made available to the public free of charge via three Internet web pages.

AZMET expanded its low desert turf water management program to three northern Arizona cities in 2003. Weather stations were installed in Flagstaff, Prescott and Payson, and a new website was developed to disseminate information on landscape irrigation to residents of northern Arizona.

Impact
AZMET is now widely accepted as an important (and often the only) source of meteorological information pertaining to the production of agricultural and horticultural crops in Arizona. Use of AZMET information continues at a high rate; users accessed AZMET web pages in excess of 305,000 times in 2005, which is close to double the number accessed in 2004.

Crop Production: Perhaps the most important impact of AZMET in production agriculture has been its ability to provide reliable information on heat units which are used to 1) time planting and harvest dates of horticultural crops such as melons and sweet corn; 2) predict pest development; and 3) monitor general crop development. AZMET plays an integral role in the success of the Arizona Cotton Advisory Program by providing weekly updates on heat unit accumulation, crop water use, and current and projected weather condition; AZMET also provides daily updates on the potential for heat stress, which can significantly reduce fruit retention and yield of cotton. AZMET recently initiated a new weekly advisory program known as the Southeast Arizona Corn Report. This advisory program provides corn growers in Cochise and Graham Counties information on weather, water requirements and crop development.

Water Use/Irrigation Management: AZMET provides data on evapotranspiration (ET) which can be used to estimate the water use of vegetation. Working in conjunction with personnel affiliated with the Ft. Mohave Indian Reservation, AZMET ET information is now used to schedule irrigations on more than 20,000 acres of cotton and alfalfa in western Arizona. AZMET generates daily turf water use reports for the Phoenix area and distributes this information to the public via a turf water management web page, email and automated fax transfer system. Sixteen large turf facilities (with more than 10 acres in turf; mostly golf courses and parks) receive this information via email or fax daily. The turf web page was accessed in excess of 11,000 times in 2005. AZMET also generates a lawn watering guide which is published daily in major newspapers in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

AZMET provides reference evapotranspiration data to the Bureau of Reclamation for use in the Lower Colorado River Accounting System (LCRAS). LCRAS represents a new and improved means of assessing water use along this portion of the Colorado River.

Funding
Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council
Arizona Grain Research & Promotion Council
Arizona Department of Water Resources
City of Phoenix
United States Bureau of Reclamation
Station sponsors: irrigation districts, NRCDs, power districts, commodity organizations, etc.

Contact
Paul W. Brown, extension specialist, biometeorology
Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science
The University of Arizona
429 Shantz Bldg #38, Tucson, AZ 85721
Tel: 520-621-1319, FAX: 520-621-9796
Email: pbrown@ag.arizona.edu

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