NESPAL

NESPAL installed a standard 4-tower, 183-meter (600-foot) Reinke CP irrigation system and then retrofitted it with a VRI control system.

The major components of the NESPAL VRI system include a Farmscan Canlink3000[TM] controller with accompanying desktop software, Farmscan proprietary control "nodes," air compressor and electrical air control valves, air-actuated water control valves, pressure regulators, and a GPS receiver for end-tower position/angle.

To verify the variable-rate functionality and that the pivot's sprinkler uniformity was not adversely impacted by the addition of VRI controls, a series of application tests were performed on the NESPAL pivot.

The NESPAL VRI system has been installed on four farmer-owned CP systems with three more planned.