Synopsis
Irrigated grain sorghum grown in 12‐ or 20‐inch rows produced significantly higher grain yields and produced more grain per inch of water used than in 30‐ or 40‐inch rows. This was attributed to a more uniform spacing of plants which resulted in more efficient use of moisture, nutrients, and solar energy.
Swisher-represented over 80 percent of the total in the High Plains in 1954 and 1959. Development 'of high-yielding hybrids and a large increase in the number of irrigation wells in the area have been major factors in the threefold increase in irrigated grain sorghum. The number of wells increased from about 8,000 in 1948 to 45,000 in 1958 and 52,000 in 1963. Expansion since 1959 has been mainly north of the Canadian River. Ideal topography was instrumental in the rapid development of irrigation in the area. It is not uncommon for farmers to irrigate one-half-mile rows without any land smoothing. The predominant soils in the area, except for Lamb and Lubbock Counties, consist mostly of clay loams and silty clay loams (10, 15). The High Plains is perhaps one of the largest irrigated areas having a single predominant soil. The source of water used for irrigation is an aquifer that underlies most of the area. The total water supply is extensive, but the rate of recharge by rainfall is very small compared to the current rate of pumping. The pumping lift ranges from about 100 to 400 feet in different areas of the High Plains. The cost of pumping water and the growing awareness that the current pumping rates greatly exceed natural recharge created a need for maximizing economic returns per unit of irrigation water and precipitation. Without irrigation, inadequate precipitation is the major factor limiting crop production in the area. Under nonirrigated conditions, the common cropping sequences involving grain sorghum are continuous sorghum and sorghum after wheat. Yields were doubled or tripled during the first 1 or 2 years of irrigation. Yields decreased in subsequent years if nitrogen fertilizer was not used. The purpose of this study was to combine moisture and fertilizer levels in an experiment to provide irrigation and fertilizer recommendations for use by irrigation farmers in the area. STUDY AREA Locat ion The experiment was located on the USDA Southwestern Great Plains Research Center near Bushland, Tex., 14 miles west of Amarillo (latitude 1 The authors gratefully acknowledge the computer services provided by the Data Processing Center,
Synopsis
Management of soil moisture by irrigation techniques influenced soil temperature and yield and quality of potatoes. The minimum soil temperature and the highest yield occurred in the every‐row irrigated high moisture treatment. Fertility rates higher than 80‐0‐0 or distance along the irrigation run did not influence tuber yield and grade.
Synopsis
This study indicated that sorghum yields can be predicted from nitrate analyses. A sampling depth of 4 feet seems necessary. Soil tests for N are of limited value in semiarid or arid areas without irrigation. Near maximum yields were obtained from 140 pounds of nitrate or nitrate plus fertilizer N per acre.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.