Water Use and Yield of Limited‐Irrigated and Dryland Corn

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) is grown on more irrigated hectares than any crop in the Great Plains. Much of this area is irrigated from the Ogallala aquifer, which is being depleted in some areas, particularly in the central and southern portions of the region. Research was conducted at Garden City, KS, from 1994 through 1997 to evaluate the effects of various combinations of irrigation, N rate, and plant population on water use and yield of corn and to determine if limited irrigation is a viable alternative to returning irrigated hectares to dryland in an area of declining groundwater. Treatments were zero, one, two, and three irrigations, each consisting of 150 mm of water, applied to corn grown with conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT). Appropriate N rates and plant populations were used with each irrigation treatment to give the management systems S0, S1, S2, and S3. The single irrigation was at tassel (VT) and the two irrigation treatment was at VT and at the dough stage of grain fill (R4). Corn irrigated three times received a vegetative irrigation at the 9 to 10 leaf stage (V9) plus irrigations at VT and R4. Management system S1 increased yield by an average of 1.76 Mg ha−1 or 29%. On average S2 and S3 increased yields an additional 11 and 13%, respectively. No till increased yield and water‐use efficiency (WUE) in 2 of 4 yr. On average NT increased yield by 0.56 Mg ha−1, and WUE by 0.96 kg ha−1 mm−1 . Conclusions are that corn will produce adequate yields with one or more irrigations; thus, limited irrigation combined with proper fertility and plant population is a viable alternative to dryland in an area of declining groundwater.

Yield response of corn to deficit irrigation in a semiarid climate

“…These results point out the importance of applying all irrigations early enough in the growing season so that the crop has time to use the water and convert it into grain. Figure 3 reflects the considerable variations in the relationship between grain yield and irrigation that can occur from one season to the next, as previously reported by Norwood (2000). These variations depend on how much water is stored in the soil profile at crop emergence, and the amount and distribution of in-season rainfall.…”

“…Figure 2 shows that at the end of the growing season, there was still some water available in the soil profile that the crop did not have time to use because it resulted from rainfall or rain that occurred too late in the growing season to have an impact on crop yield. Norwood (2000) in a 4-year study with corn in Kansas found that considerable water remained in the soil profile after harvest. These results point out the importance of applying all irrigations early enough in the growing season so that the crop has time to use the water and convert it into grain.…”

“…This situation is forcing farmers to consider the options of deficit-irrigating crops like corn or growing alternative crops like winter wheat that requireperform economic comparisons among local cropping options. In the US Great Plains, developing local and current information on water-yield relationships is particularly important for corn (Zea mays L.), since this crop covers more irrigated area than any other crop in the region (Norwood, 2000).…”

No-till in northern, western and south-western Europe: A review of problems and opportunities for crop production and the environment

“…The practice of no-till is frequently mentioned as a water-saving technique, due to increased infiltration, reduced evaporation and increased storage. US studies clearly indicate that no-till could contribute to water savings when compared to conventional tillage (Wagger and Cassel, 1993;Norwood, 2000).…”

Effects of Plant Pattern and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Yield and Yield Components of Silage Corn Cultivars

“…according to the study conducted by subedi et al (2006 ), nitrogen consumption increased corn silage yield. Amount of corn nitrogen necessary depends on the silage yield when no restrictions have on the other elements ( Pampolino et al 2007 ).nitrogen application have significant effect on qualitative and quantitative maize yield ( sanjeev and Bangawa ,1997).Application of nitrogen is appropriate method for increasing the yield of corn (Norwood, 2000).Study have shown that the best response of maize to nitrogen was 250 and 300 kg per hectare net nitrogen (Di paolo and Rinaldi, 2008). Nitrogen is a importance factor for corn growth (Adediran andBanjoko, 1995,.Tollenaar andAguilera.…”