Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330857
Title: Limited irrigation of corn-based no-till crop rotations in west central Great Plains.

Author
item SCHLEGEL, ALAN - Kansas State University Extension Center
item ASSEFA, YARED - Kansas State University
item DUMLER, TROY - Kansas State University
item HAAG, LUCAS - Kansas State University Extension Center
item STONE, LOYD - Kansas State University
item THOMPSON, CURTIS - Kansas State University
item Halvorson, Ardell

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2016
Publication Date: 4/22/2016
Citation: Schlegel, A.J., Assefa, Y., Dumler, T.J., Haag, L.A., Stone, L.R., Halvorson, A.D., Thompson, C.R. 2016. Limited irrigation of corn-based no-till crop rotations in west central Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 108(3):1132-1141.

Interpretive Summary: As water availability from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation decreases, farmers need information on water wise cropping practices, like crop rotations. Scientists from Kansas State University in the ARS led Ogallala Aquifer Program and ARS (Fort Collins, CO) investigated the profitability of four rotations under limited irrigation (10 inches annually). Continuous corn was more profitable than other rotations. These results indicate that producers should consider crop yield and valve when evaluating crop practices.

Technical Abstract: Identifying the most profitable crop rotation for an area is a continuous research challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate 2, 3, and 4 yr. limited irrigation corn (Zea mays L.) based crop rotations for grain yield, available soil water, crop water productivity, and profitability in comparison with 1 yr. continuous corn (CC). A field study was conducted from 2001 through 2010 on a deep silt loam soil near Tribune, KS. The study consisted of four crop rotations, that is, CC, corn winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (CW), corn winter wheat grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) (CWGs), and corn winter wheat grain sorghum soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (CWGsSb) with irrigation limited to 254 mm annually. Grain yield of corn from the CC rotation was significantly lower, on average by 2.5 Mg per ha, than corn yield from the other three rotations mainly due to difference in irrigation level. However, the mean yield of CC over one cycle of rotation [approximately 10.2 Mg per ha] was significantly greater than mean corn equivalent grain yield of the other three rotations over one cycle of each rotation. Seasonal soil water usage from upper depths of the soil profile was significantly greater for CC. In this study, average crop water productivity [16.6 kg per mm] and profitability of the CC rotation were also greater than in the other rotations. In selecting profitable rotations, producers should consider crop yield potential and value in addition to resilience.