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Enhance Economic Opportunities for Agricultural Producers
Arizona Meteorological Network (AZMET) Assists 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 173,000 times in
2004, the turf web page was accessed more than 10,000 times, and in
conjunction with personnel affiliated with the Ft. Mohave Indian Reservation,
AZMET evapotranspiration information is now 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 the turf water management program to three northern
Arizona cities in 2003. Weather stations were installed in Flagstaff,
Prescott and Payson, and a new site 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 173,000
times 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.
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 10,000 times in 2004. AZMET also generates
a lawn watering guide which is published daily in major newspapers in
the Phoenix metropolitan area.
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
429 Shantz Bldg #38, Tucson, AZ 85721
Tel: 520-621-1319, FAX: 520-621-9796
Email: pbrown@ag.arizona.edu
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