CGM Irrigation & Water Management Flashcards

What is the primary advantage of a smart irrigation controller over a traditional timer-based controller?

Answer: It automatically adjusts watering schedules based on weather and soil data to avoid overwatering

Smart controllers use real-time weather and sensor data to irrigate only when needed, significantly reducing water waste compared to fixed schedules.

Which irrigation system type delivers water directly to the root zone of plants, minimizing evaporation losses?

Answer: Drip/micro-irrigation

Drip irrigation delivers water at low flow rates directly to the soil near plant roots, reducing evaporation and surface runoff.

What does evapotranspiration (ET) measure in the context of turfgrass irrigation?

Answer: The combined water loss from soil evaporation and plant transpiration

ET quantifies the total water consumed by a landscape through soil evaporation and plant transpiration, forming the basis of efficient irrigation scheduling.

A backflow preventer on an irrigation system is required primarily to:

Answer: Prevent contaminated irrigation water from flowing back into the potable water supply

Backflow preventers protect public drinking water from contamination by stopping reverse flow of irrigation water, which may contain fertilizers or pesticides.

What is the term for the percentage of water applied by an irrigation system that is actually used by the plant, expressed as a percent?

Answer: Irrigation efficiency

Irrigation efficiency measures how effectively applied water is used by plants versus lost to runoff, evaporation, or deep percolation.

Which factor most directly determines the correct spacing between sprinkler heads in a residential or commercial irrigation design?

Answer: The sprinkler's radius of throw and the head-to-head coverage principle

Head-to-head coverage—spacing sprinklers so each head reaches the adjacent head—ensures uniform water distribution across the entire zone.