Introduction of 360 Rain autonomous irrigation and liquid application system for row crops.

360 Yield Center announces the development of an autonomous irrigation and liquid application system for row crops.

360 RAIN takes a decades old irrigation method –the hose reel –mounts it on a mobile base and adds autonomous navigation to create a new concept to deliver water to row crops. By delivering bands of water directly to the base of the plant, 360 RAIN provides advantages over traditional irrigation methods:
•Lower water demands –operating on wells or reservoirs with 75% lessflow capacity of traditional pivot-systems
•Efficient delivery of nutrients such as nitrogen, sulfur, boron and other micronutrients•Coverage of 100% of the fields
•Ability to work in irregular shaped fields where center pivots are not practical
•Variable rate nitrogen, water and micronutrients

360 RAIN provides the “million-dollar rain” that grain producers long for –day and night –through the critical weeks of the growing season.

Delivering timely moisture
With a 60-foot boom, 360 RAIN applies water through Y-DROP-style drop hoses. Up to 2,900 feet of 3-inch diameter hose is dispensed by a computer-controlled reel. The machine moves up and down the crop rows as the well-tethered reel dispenses and retrieves hose. At 0.45 mph, 360 RAIN can apply over 2,000,000 gallons of water per week –the equivalent of one inch of rain over an 80-acre field from a well producing just 215 gallons per minute. And then start again. And again. Providing the three or four inches of critical moisture that activates soil microbes, enhances grain fill and allows plants to thrive.

Bringing irrigation to new regions
360 RAIN requires much lower volumes of water than traditional irrigation systems. Depending on field size, wells need to provide just 100 to 225 gallons per minute to the system. Plus, 360 RAIN can water irregular shaped fields that do not fit typical center pivot systems. The RAIN system also provides 100% field coverage –no special equipment needed to cover the corners that are typical in center pivot fields.