Relative Efficiency of Production Alternatives: Irrigation in Cotton

Abstract

The economic analysis of experimental crop production data illustrates how some production strategies can be eliminated from consideration regardless of prices. Also, other production strategies can be isolated as applicable only under substantially different prices. Research on reducing water applied to furrow irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) through a shortened irrigation season and skip‐row planting is reported and evaluated using basic economic principles that can be applied by researchers in various disciplines. Upland cotton was grown at Marana, AZ, for 3 yr under eight alternative furrow irrigation strategies. Dropping the last of the seven scheduled post‐plant irrigations resulted in the highest yield and, therefore, required less land and water to produce the same amount of cotton than treatments with the same number (dropping the first irrigation) or more scheduled irrigations (all seven irrigations). Deletion of two irrigations required more land and water to produce the same amount of lint when compared with dropping the first irrigation on part of the acreage and deleting three Irrigations on the remainder. Yield was reduced significantly under 2 × 1 skip row (plant 2 and skip 1) and 2 × 2 skip row (plant 2 and skip 2) although using 2 × 1 skip rows could be an efficient use of land and water where water is relatively expensive and seed, fertilizer, and picking costs are increased. Irrigation treatments of economic interest were thereby narrowed to: (i) dropping the last irrigation, (ii) dropping the first two and the last irrigation, and (iii) the 2 × 1 skip row.