MSc by Research – Developing precision irrigation in horticulture - engineering variable water application technologies

Overview

Supported by a Defra Hortlink bursary this studentship will cover the tuition fees at the UK/EU rate only and provide a bursary of up to £13,500 p.a for one year

Cranfield University is seeking a self-motivated and flexible engineering graduate to work on an exciting Defra Hortlink research project which aims to develop an intelligent irrigation management system for field-scale horticulture.

The project will integrate soil moisture sensing, wireless communication and variable application technologies, to improve crop quality, save water and minimise environmental impacts. A ‘closed loop’ system will be developed and evaluated on farms under contrasting field conditions to assess system performance, and impacts on yield and post harvest quality.

The successful applicant will focus on the hydraulic engineering aspects, conducting field based research and computer simulation modelling to engineer and test a control system for variable water application. They will be expected to participate actively in the broader project, liaising with staff from other academic institutions (Lancaster University and Harper Adams University College), commercial agribusinesses and the irrigation industry.


Present overhead irrigation technologies fail to apply the same depth of water across a field uniformly, with consequent adverse impacts on crop quality. Sprinkler systems are adversely affected by pressure variation along and between laterals and due to ground slopes, inadequate overlap of the application patterns between sprinklers, and wind distortion. Hosereel systems using booms (increasingly popular for field-scale horticultural irrigation) are better than those with guns but can give non-uniformity due to pressure variation, inconsistent pull-in speed and wind distortion. None of the present systems therefore provide flexibility to cope with spatially varying water demand, for example, due to sequential planting or soil variation. The student will conduct research on two of these systems - sprinklers and hosereels fitted with booms - to develop and evaluate new technologies to allow more accurate, spatially variable water applications based on intelligent information from planting records, soil maps and/or wireless soil moisture data.

The student will be based at Cranfield University in the Cranfield Water Science Institute. The Institute is recognised internationally for its research, education, training and consultancy, focussing on the science, engineering and management of water in municipal, industrial and natural environments. We are the UK's largest postgraduate group specialising in these areas.

Start date: 3 Oct. 2011

Doctoral Training Centres

This higher research degree is associated with one of our Doctoral Training Centre, which is funded in part by the Research Councils and industry. A generic core skills training programme is provided for all research students. This is structured as a series of half day or full day events and acts as a social and networking forum to foster and develop Cranfield’s research student community.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should have a First or Second Class UK Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject such as agricultural engineering, environmental engineering, hydraulics, or water management. The applicant should be numerate with strong computer skills. Familiarity with computer simulation software would be beneficial. A clean driving licence, willingness to drive to farm sites and to work independently as all essential.

Funding

Supported by a Defra Hortlink bursary this studentship will cover the tuition fees at the UK/EU rate only and provide a bursary of up to £13,500 p.a for one year.

How to apply

If you are eligible to apply for this research studentship, please complete the Application Form or you can request that we post one to you. Alternatively you may wish to apply online. For further information contact us today:

School of Applied Sciences
T: +44 (0)1234 754086
E: appliedsciences@cranfield.ac.uk

Please note that we are unable to consider submissions for specific research studentships that fall outside of the stated eligibility criteria.

http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/postgraduatestudy/researchopportunities/page55093.html



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