This application note is concerned with daily water use (DWU) files - how they are used by PR41 and how they can be created and edited.
There is some confusion between the use of the terms GlobalDWU and Global Formulas, and Global Functions File and DWU file.
A DWU file contains long-term daily water use (DWU) behaviour for a particular crop during the growing season.
The Global DWU is calculated from a nominated DWU file, specified on at Daily Water Use File:
The Global DWU is the single value of DWU that is calculated for today (using the clock in the computer), and is used to predict the Global Predicted Irrigation Date (GPI) for all sites.
The global functions file contains up to 16 functions or formulae - global formulae -
the results of which will be displayed on every readings screen. Use to enter or change the formulae, and when saving
give a filename such as AGRITEC.GLB. The globals file name can also be
entered or changed on .
DWU file names can be used in four places in the software:
1 Utilities/Updateoptions (a single GlobalDWU value for today for all sites)
2 (DWU values for the whole season for an individual site)
3 (DWU values for the whole season for all sites)
4 (a single DWU value for today for an individual site)
Use to enter the DWU filename that will be used to calculate the GlobalDWU.
Daily Water Use file: COTTON.DWU
Global DWU: 5.6 mm/day
A DWU file name should be entered here (just COTTON.DWU, no + sign).
When <F10> is pressed to update the PROBE.INI settings,
the software will calculate a single value of GlobalDWU for todays date. This
single value is then used to predict the Global Predicted Irrigation date (GPI) for all
sites (but see 4 below for exception). The nominated file should contain data for the
principal crop being monitored.
The calculated value of todays DWU from this file - the GlobalDWU - will be displayed next time you choose , and can be changed.
In addition, the GlobalDWU is used as the 'default' for the EstimatedDWU each time probe readings, irrigations and rainfalls are posted. Therefore, if the value is never changed, the values of DWU in all rows will be from this file.
A DWU filename can be used as a keydata formula on .
Keydata
Bolls
Squares
+COTTON.DWU:11
Bolls and Squares will allow data collected in the field to be manually
recorded, but +COTTON.DWU will calculate values of DWU from this file
for each column in the readings screen. The :11 tells the software to display
the data in the units chosen on .
Use this method to draw a time graph of data from the DWU file when each site has a different crop.
Note that if a new keydata formula is entered using , then
the whole of the readings screen needs updating with <F8>Update.
Entered using , and stored in the globals file.
Select Parameter Type Graph Graph Graph
(Formula) (0-21) Factor Offset Type
1 * +COTTON.DWU 11 1 0 0
2 * +ProbeDWU/COTTON.DWU 1 1 0 0
This is similar to entering as a keydata formula, but in this case it is entered only once but the results will appear on every readings screen.
In the example above:
+COTTON.DWU:11
will calculate the corresponding value of DWU using the data in COTTON.DWU
for every column of each readings screen.
+ProbeDWU/COTTON.DWU:2
will calculate the ratio of actual DWU this year to the long term value, and display to 2 decimal places.
A time graph of the values of DWU from COTTON.DWU for the whole season can
now be plotted by selecting with <F6> on any readings screen, and
choosing Globals:selected on the time graph dialogue screen.
A DWU filename should be entered as a global formula only for a crop that is grown on most sites.
The readings display is slowed down as the global formulas are calculated. To disable the global values display use and delete the name of the globals file. Global values will no longer be displayed, although the formulas in the global file are still there and can be re-activated by re-entering the globals file name.
Each site can also have an individual 'Global' DWU calculated, allowing for
different crops. Entering the name of a DWU file in at Variety:
Variety: COTTON.DWU
If a DWU filename is entered here (just COTTON.DWU, no +
sign), then the software will use the value of DWU from this file for today to
predict the Global Predicted Irrigation date (GPI) for this site, instead of using the
GlobalDWU value calculated at 1 above.
Entering a DWU filename at Variety: should be done if different crops or
varieties are being monitored - each site can have its own, individual 'GlobalDWU' based
on the long-term behaviour of each crop.
On the sites screen, in the GlobalDWU column, (scroll to the right with arrow keys) sites using individual DWU filenames will show different values of GDWU for each site
DWU files are standard DOS text files, and can be created and edited using EDIT,
XTREE, or any word processor that will save unformatted, or ascii, files.
A DWU file called COTTON.DWU is supplied, but can be edited and renamed to
reflect the standard behaviour of other crops when the probe has been used for several
growing seasons.
A DWU file must have at least 3 lines, with format...
273 |
...number of days since Jan 1 to planting |
40, 2.0 |
...days-since-planting, DWU in mm/day |
60, 2.5 |
|
80, 3.8 |
|
90, 5.0 |
...28 December, 5.00 mm/day |
100, 6.0 |
|
120, 8.0 |
|
130, 8.0 |
|
160, 5.5 |
|
180, 4.2 |
The units must be in days, and mm/day. The software will display in in/ft or other user selected units set with
DWU files will work in any year because the date information is relative to Jan 1st, not to any particular year. To use the same data for crops with different planting dates, or to compare with data from another hemisphere, simply change the 'planting date number' in the first line and save with a new file name.
Daily Water Use of cotton
The data in DWU files should be of the long-term behaviour of a crop, built up from use of the probe. To generate values from your own data, plot an overlaid time graph of ProbeDWU for all farms and all sites. Using your judgement, sketch an average curve (or perhaps a 'high' and 'low' curve), and enter the data points into a DWU file.
Crop water use data is available from many Departments of Agriculture and Universities, some of which is available in DWU format from Research services New England. If users develop their own DWU data, RSNE would be interested in the results for dissemination to other users.
Probe for Windows has an in-built editor for creating and editing DWU files
DWU files can be used to display other data. For eaxmple a 'DWU' file called EVAP.DWU
could contain pan evaporation data, entered into the file using EDIT as the
data becomes available from a weather station. Using ,
entering the formulas:
Select Parameter Type Graph Graph Graph
(Formula) (0-21) Factor Offset Type
1 * +EVAP.DWU 11 1 0 0
2* +EVAP.DWU/ProbeDWU 2 1 0 0
will display evaporation values on every readings screen, and also the ratio of evaporation to actual crop water use.
If growing degree days are required, a file called CUMGDD.DWU could
contain growing degree days (GDD) calculated from weather station data and added each each
day to the end of the file. A global formula of:
+CUMGDD.DWU
will calculate and display growing degree days for every site. If a value of, say, 67
was displayed at the actual planting date for a particular site, then a Keydata formula
should be entered for that site:
+CUMGDD.DWU-67
and a value of 0 will now be displayed at the site planting date, and all
following columns will have the correct value of growing degree days.
Growing degree days could also be plotted as the horizontal axis of time graphs, to allow comparisons of crop development.
Crop Growth Models
Many agronomic models use the equation:
Crop Daily Water Use = Et0 * Kcrop
Where Kcrop varies with the growing season, and Et0 is the
reference or pan evaporation. The Kcropinformation could be entered into a
file called, say, COTTON.KC. If Et0 or pan evaporation data was
in a file called ET0.DWU, then the formula:
+ET0.DWU*COTTON.KC
will calculate and display the model predicted crop daily water use.
DWU files for evaporation and growing degree days can be produced automatically from
downloaded weather data files using the programme CONVERT, available from
RSNE.