ARS | Publication request: Site-specific irrigation of peanuts on a Coastal Plain field

Submitted to: International Conference on Precision Agriculture Abstracts & Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: June 1, 2008
Publication Date: July 20, 2008
Citation: Bauer, P.J., Stone, K.C., Busscher, W.J., Millen, J.A., Evans, D.E., Strickland Jr, E.E. 2008. Site-specific irrigation of peanuts on a Coastal Plain field. Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, July 20-23, 2008, Denver, Colorado. 2008 CDROM.

Technical Abstract: Irrigator-Pro is an expert system that prescribes irrigation for corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea). We conducted an experiment in 2007 to evaluate Irrigator-Pro as a tool for variable rate irrigation of peanut using a site-specific center pivot irrigation system. Treatments were irrigation of whole plots based on the expert system, irrigation of individual soils within plots based on the expert system, irrigation of individual soils within plots based on tensiometers, and rainfed. Treatments were assigned to large plots with lengths that were 45° along the travel distance of the pivot and widths of 18.3 m along its span. Experimental design was randomized complete block and there were four replicates of each treatment. In-season data collection from all plots included normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI), canopy temperature, soil water potential, and cumulative water applied. Peanut yield was determined with a yield monitor. Irrigation applications began earlier in the season for plots managed with the expert system than for plots managed with tensiometers on all soils and total water applied was generally higher for both treatments using Irrigator Pro than for the tensiometer treatment. Rainfed yields were approximately 50% of irrigated yields. There were no differences between the three irrigation scheduling methods treatments for NDVI, canopy temperature, or yield. Using Irrigator-Pro to prescribe water on a by-soil map unit basis did not reduce variability compared to using the model to prescribe irrigation on a whole plot basis.