Mobile Drip Irrigation Evaluation in Corn

Kisekka, Isaya; Oker, Tobias E.; Nguyen, Huynh Truong Gia; Aguilar, Jonathan; Rogers, Danny H.

doi:10.4148/2378-5977.1253

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Different indices are used for irrigation scheduling using canopy temperatures. Some examples include the Crop Water Stress Index, Stress Degree Days, Stomatal Conductance Index, Degrees Above Canopy Threshold and Time Temperature Threshold (TTT) [98][99][100][101]. In California, the Crop Water Stress Index and Degrees Above Canopy Threshold have been evaluated for wine grapes, corn, pistachios and wheat growers using infrared thermal radiometry [102,103].…”

Section: Canopy Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation Decision Support Systems (IDSS) for California’s Water–Nutrient–Energy Nexus

et al. 2022

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California has unsustainable use of agricultural water and energy, as well as problems of severe drought, nitrate pollution and groundwater salinity. As the leading producer and exporter of agricultural produce in the United States, 5.6 percent of California’s energy is currently used for pumping groundwater. These problems and new regulatory policies (e.g., Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program) pressure growers to schedule, account and maintain records of water, energy and nutrients needed for crop and soil management. Growers require varying levels of decision support to integrate different irrigation strategies into farm operations. Decision support can come from the public or private sector, where there are many tradeoffs between cost, underlying science, user friendliness and overall challenges in farm integration. Thus, effective irrigation management requires clear definitions, decision support and guidelines for how to incorporate and evaluate the water–nutrient–energy nexus benefits of different practices and combinations of practices under shifting water governance. The California Energy Commission-sponsored Energy Product Evaluation Hub (Cal-EPE Hub) project has a mission of providing science-based evaluation of energy-saving technologies as a direct result of improved water management for irrigation in agriculture, including current and future irrigation decision support systems in California. This project incorporates end-user perceptions into evaluations of existing decision support tools in partnership with government, agricultural and private stakeholders. In this article, we review the policy context and science underlying the available irrigation decision support systems (IDSS), discuss the benefits/tradeoffs and report on their efficacy and ease of use for the most prevalent cropping systems in California. Finally, we identify research and knowledge-to-action gaps for incorporating irrigation decision support systems into new incentives and requirements for reporting water and energy consumption as well as salinity and nitrogen management in the state of California.

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Section: Canopy Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation Decision Support Systems (IDSS) for California’s Water–Nutrient–Energy Nexus

et al. 2022

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“…Known as "irrigation trail tubes" at the time, these systems were developed and tested in South Dakota (Chu et al, 1992) and in California (Phene et al, 1985) in the early 1980s, and even as early as the 1970s (Rawlins et al, 1974). The advent of pressurecompensated drip emitters engendered a resurgence of interest in what is now known as mobile drip irrigation (Kisekka et al, 2016).…”

Section: Irrigation Research Advances Efficiency and Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Past, Present, and Future of Irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains

Evett¹,

Colaizzi²,

Lamm

et al. 2020

Transactions of the ASABE

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Highlights Irrigation is key to the productivity of Great Plains agriculture but is threatened by water scarcity. The irrigated area grew to >9 million ha since 1870, mostly since 1950, but is likely to decline. Changes in climate, water availability, irrigated area, and policy will affect productivity. Adaptation and innovation, hallmarks of Great Plains populations, will ensure future success. Abstract. Motivated by the need for sustainable water management and technology for next-generation crop production, the future of irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains was examined through the lenses of past changes in water supply, historical changes in irrigated area, and innovations in irrigation technology, management, and agronomy. We analyzed the history of irrigated agriculture through the 1900s to the present day. We focused particularly on the efficiency and water productivity of irrigation systems (application efficiency, crop water productivity, and irrigation water use productivity) as a connection between water resource management and agricultural production. Technology innovations have greatly increased the efficiency of water application, the productivity of water use, and the agricultural productivity of the Great Plains. We also examined the changes in water stored in the High Plains aquifer, which is the region’s principle supply for irrigation water. Relative to other states, the aquifer has been less impacted in Nebraska, despite large increases in irrigated area. Greatly increased irrigation efficiency has played a role in this, but so have regulations and the recharge to the aquifer from the Nebraska Sand Hills and from rivers crossing the state. The outlook for irrigation is less positive in western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The aquifer in these regions is recharged at rates much less than current pumping, and the aquifer is declining as a result. Improvements in irrigation technology and management plus changes in crops grown have made irrigation ever more efficient and allowed irrigation to continue. There is good reason to expect that future research and development efforts by federal and state researchers, extension specialists, and industry, often in concert, will continue to improve the efficiency and productivity of irrigated agriculture. Public policy changes will also play a role in regulating consumption and motivating on-farm efficiency improvements. Water supplies, while finite, will be stretched much further than projected by some who look only at past rates of consumption. Thus, irrigation will continue to be important economically for an extended period. Sustaining irrigation is crucial to sustained productivity of the Great Plains “bread basket” because on average irrigation doubles the efficiency with which water is turned into crop yields compared with what can be attained in this region with precipitation alone. Lessons learned from the Great Plains are relevant to irrigation in semi-arid and subhumid areas worldwide. Keywords: Center pivot, Crop water productivity, History, Sprinkler irrigation, Subsurface drip irrigation, Water use efficiency.

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“…High WAE has been measured in these systems, such as in Georgia, where MDI had a WAE of 98.4% (Oker et al., 2020). In Kansas, MDI was compared with low elevation spray application (LESA) in a corn ( Zea mays L.) field trial where mini‐lysimeters measured 35% less WDEL losses with MDI (Kisekka et al., 2016). O'Shaughnessy and Colaizzi (2017) also conducted a corn field trial in Northern Texas, evaluating MDI, LESA, and LEPA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On‐farm evaluations of overhead irrigation sprinkler packages at full and reduced rates

Holt,

Yost,

Creech

et al. 2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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Irrigation is a critical resource in meeting the global demand for food, feed, fiber, and fuel. One water optimization method with high potential and interest is the use of more efficient irrigation systems. In many areas where pivots are used, the most common sprinkler package is mid‐elevation sprinkler application (MESA), which typically has application efficiencies near 80%. Low‐energy precision application (LEPA) and mobile drip irrigation (MDI) can have greater than 95% application efficiency. The objective of this research was to evaluate the ability of LEPA and MDI to maintain crop yield and quality in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and silage corn (Zea mays L.), at similar and reduced irrigation rates as MESA. The intent of the reduced rate was to determine if the decreased application losses with LEPA and MDI could result in sustained crop production with a 20% irrigation rate reduction. Actual reductions ranged from 5% to 55% depending on system and site due to equipment constraints. Data from two farms in Utah during 2018–2020 provided evidence that these systems can often maintain yield and forage quality with 5%–55% less applied water. However, there were also many instances where yield was reduced by LEPA and MDI, even with similar application rates to MESA. This indicates that the two higher efficiency systems will not save water in all cases and that the application system must be carefully evaluated in small on‐farm trials over multiple years for its ability to succeed in specific field conditions.

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Mobile Drip Irrigation Evaluation in Corn

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

Irrigation Decision Support Systems (IDSS) for California’s Water–Nutrient–Energy Nexus

Irrigation Decision Support Systems (IDSS) for California’s Water–Nutrient–Energy Nexus

Past, Present, and Future of Irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains

On‐farm evaluations of overhead irrigation sprinkler packages at full and reduced rates

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