About
  PDF
Full Text
(387 K)

Ideal Irrigation Deficit for Mid-South Cotton based on Soil Type

Joe Henggeler

ABSTRACT

Irrigated cotton yields in Missouri are approximately 285 pounds of lint higher per acre then are dryland yields. Additionally, within the subset of Missouri irrigation users, those irrigators who actually utilize an irrigation-scheduling program will increase this yield differential another 100 pounds, versus irrigators who do not employ any scheduling tool. These data come from annual irrigation surveys for the period, 2000-2003.

An essential part of irrigation scheduling, is to know the ideal deficit point at which irrigation must be re-applied to obtain highest yields. The focus of this study was to test various deficit amounts on several soil types to empirically determine the optimum deficit.

It is interesting to note that there is a dichotomy between the western US and the mid-South in regards irrigation amount-timing. Often in the west, the concept of irrigation amount-timing is thought of in terms of interval, specifically, days between irrigation events. In the mid-South the focus is on the amount (commonly termed deficit), in units of inches applied per irrigation. Probably on of the reasons for this dichotomy is that under western conditions cotton farmers can go longer between irrigations (with associated higher application amounts). In the mid-South where rains are more frequent and hardpans more problematic, the interval (and, thus, also, the a applied amount) is smaller.





[Main TOC] | [TOC] | [TOC by Section] | [Search] | [Help]
Previous Page [Previous] [Next] Next Page

Document last modified 04/27/04