New crop coefficients for BC hazelnut irrigation
Introduction
As climate variability places increasing pressure on water resources in British Columbia, growers need better tools to manage irrigation efficiently. Until now, hazelnut growers have relied largely on general recommendations, with limited information on how much water orchards actually need throughout the growing season. To address this gap, a partnership between UBC researchers, Peak HydroMet Solutions, Pacific Agricultural Consulting Ltd., the BC Hazelnut Growers Association, and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food developed the first locally derived crop coefficients (Kc) for hazelnut orchards in the Fraser Valley. Growers can use these values alongside climate data from the BC AgriWeather network to estimate orchard water use and make more informed irrigation decisions. By providing a practical, science-based approach to irrigation planning, this project supports sustainable hazelnut production and more effective water management in British Columbia.
This guide was developed to support the adoption of these newly developed hazelnut crop coefficients (Kc). It walks users through the process of estimating orchard water use using BC AgriWeather data and explains how these estimates can be applied to irrigation planning and water management throughout the growing season.
About this research update
This document was prepared by Nisa Chavez from the BC Food Web team, with the help of Steven T. Bristow and Thorsten Knipfer from the University of British Columbia.
Resources:
- To find evapotranspiration data for calculating irrigation, visit the BC AgriWeather website. Select your closet weather station and then scroll to find 'evapotranspiration' (ET) listed in green.
- To adjust evapotranspiration data from your analog thermometer, visit the FAO ETo calculator.