Zapata et al. (2026) Soil luminance and thermography support the estimation of whole-field solid-set sprinkler irrigation uniformity

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Identification

• Journal: Irrigation Science
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-30
• Authors: N. Zapata, A. Neji, B. Latorre, A. Serreta, E. T. Medina, P. Paniagua, Enrique Playán Jubillar
• DOI: 10.1007/s00271-026-01154-w

Research Groups

• Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of [Institution]
• Institute for Remote Sensing Technology, [University/Research Institution]

Short Summary

This study proposes novel approaches using ground-sensors and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) based remote sensing techniques to evaluate the spatial variability of water application in solid-set sprinkler irrigation across an entire field. The developed methodology effectively explained irrigation depth and variability.

Objective

• Investigate the feasibility of using remote soil observation methodologies to characterize irrigation variability in solid-set sprinkler irrigation systems.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field scale (entire field with bare soil)
• Temporal Scale: Irrigation events, post-irrigation periods (up to 7 hours)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Linear regression models, relational models
• Data sources: Rain gauges, ground-sensors (soil temperature), UAV-acquired thermal and visible (RGB) imagery

Main Results

• Local soil temperature measurements showed strong correlation with irrigation depth measured with rain gauges (average R 2 = 0.55 and RMSE = 1.21 mm).
• Thermal UAV images achieved higher determination coefficients (average R 2 = 0.83 and RMSE = 0.7 mm) than visible images (average R 2 = 0.78 and RMSE = 0.9 mm).
• Relational models using only 15 rain gauge measurements to train UAV images effectively explained irrigation depth variability.

Contributions

This study contributes novel approaches for evaluating the spatial variability of water application in solid-set sprinkler irrigation systems, providing an alternative or complement to traditional field evaluation methods.

Funding

• Project [Project Code], funded by [Funding Agency]
• Program [Program Name], reference code [Reference Code]

Citation

@article{Zapata2026Soil,
  author = {Zapata, N. and Neji, A. and Latorre, B. and Serreta, A. and Medina, E. T. and Paniagua, P. and Jubillar, Enrique Playán},
  title = {Soil luminance and thermography support the estimation of whole-field solid-set sprinkler irrigation uniformity},
  journal = {Irrigation Science},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s00271-026-01154-w},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-026-01154-w}
}